Caution Lights
by BG.0715
Summary: After Hell Week, the Parker girls struggle with more drama from Bobby's arrest to Donna's death.
1. Chapter 1

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 1, 'Surance**

**By BG and Reaper**

**(****extra big THANKS to Prpldphn for all the great beta work!!)**

Vix was finally being released from the hospital. Jaci and Roxy had carried the mountain of balloons and flowers downstairs and were pulling the car around as Juice pushed Vix towards the elevator in a wheelchair.

"I cannot wait to get you home!!" Juice whispered in her ear as the elevator doors slid shut.

Vix smiled and looked up at him. "Um, baby…you know I'm gonna be… uh…out of commission so to speak for a while? It hurts to even cough right now. I can't even imagine like _going at it_."

"Oh, no, I totally get that. No problem babe. That's the last thing on my mind." Juice said but then smiled. "Ok, its not the _last_ thing…" They both laughed.

Vix groaned and held her stomach. "No being funny! We'll pop my stitches!"

Juice grimaced and then squatted down. "Ok, I'll be serious then." He locked eyes with her and took her hand in his. For a half a second Vix thought he had lost his mind and was going to propose. They had had some long and intense conversations since she had woken up and started getting better. Her illness had definitely sealed the deal on their relationship. Both were completely and totally committed to each other. There had been talks of her moving in with him and marriage and kids, the whole nine yards but they decided they should put that off for just a bit. _Hadn't they?_ Vix wondered and her thoughts started running wild. _Oh God, please don't pop the question now. Not in a hospital elevator while I look like complete shit! I don't even have makeup on! I'll say yes but I want the fairytale proposal! _ Vix frowned slightly. _Oh shit, I didn't KNOW I wanted the fairy tale shit but I do! I want a ring and a romantic dinner and there is no way you could possibly have a ring already! Please don't ask now, please don't ask now!_

He swallowed hard. "My only care in the world right now is getting you better. Anything you need or want, _anything _at all…I'll get it or do it or whatever. You just get better. We got all the time in the world for knockin' boots, babe."

Vix smiled. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

He pursed his lips as he thought it over. "Mmm…and I love you?"

"I love you too, baby." Vix replied with a sigh of relief.

He grinned and stood up, kissing her forehead as the elevator doors slid open. "Let's blow this joint."

Juice had being staying with Vix at her house for two days, leaving only to go to work. As he left for work, Vix grabbed his hand.

"Roxy wants to cook the guys a big ole Southern dinner. You know, just a thank you for helping out with me and Jaci so much. Can you round them up for tomorrow night?"

"Hell yeah." Juice replied with a smile. "The guys will be tripping over themselves to get there. What are we havin'?"

The dinner party was a little smaller than Roxy had hoped with Jax, Tara, Clay and Gemma all declining due to other plans but they still had a nice crowd, what Jaci had called the 'core crew'. Roxy was getting picture happy with the camera, snapping shots of everyone randomly throughout the night. Normally the guys would have been anti-photo but none of them were about to tell the _Queen of Alabama_ 'no'. There were some sweet pics of Vix and Juice all hugged up together, Bobby and Jaci cooking in the kitchen, a picture of all the guys together looking all tough, one of Jaci and Vix hugging and grinning, and one of Jaci being put in a head lock by Juice for reasons unknown with Half Sack trying to help break her loose.

Jaci was smiling as she watched Roxy taking a picture of Chibs and Half Sack arm wrestling at the dinner table. The evening was turning into a lot of fun. Everyone was just relaxed and happy and joking around with each other. She shook her head, thinking how great it would be if Bama and California were closer together geographically that way she could have the best of both worlds. Tig walked into the kitchen, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her. Vix's hospital drama had been tough on her but she seemed to be back to her old self again.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked as he snagged a beer from the fridge.

She shrugged. "Just happy." She walked across the kitchen and leaned against the counter in front of him. He stood next to her and stole a quick kiss as he twisted the cap off his beer. Ironic for them to be adults but sneaking around like teenagers in the kitchen. Neither one of them felt comfortable with signs of affection in front of Roxy. Hell they weren't really at ease about being a couple in front of the guys either so it was nice to steal a moment alone together. He leaned one arm on the counter behind her and she moved closer to him. They were smiling slightly at each other when a bright flash blinded them…Roxy and her camera.

"Roxy! No no no!" Jaci protested and held her hand up while trying to blink away the spots before her eyes. _Ah hell, Tig is going to lose his shit! _"I don't think we should…."

Tig backed away from Jaci with a grunt. He wanted to grab the camera and throw it against the wall but restrained himself. While he certainly didn't mind taking pictures of others, especially chicks in compromising positions, he hated being in front of the camera. Matter of fact, he was pretty sure the last picture take of him was a mug shot. He tossed a warning glance at Jaci. She was already watching him, like she was just waiting for him to blow up and make a scene. He didn't like that look on her face, like she was afraid. _Chill out. No big deal. It's just family. Have to respect her family. _He took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. "It's ok." Jaci stared at him in surprise. Tig leveled a gaze at Roxy as he started out of the kitchen. "Keep that picture to yourself."

Roxy smirked and replied sweetly, "Sure thing, honey. No worries." She waited until Tig had made it back to the living room before she turned to Jaci and winked, saying, "I'll send ya a copy."

Dinner had been wonderful. The guys had just about stuffed themselves on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, fried okra and squash when Roxy announced it was time for dessert.

"Oooh, what are we having?" Bobby asked. Stuffed as he was there was always room for dessert.

"Possum pie." Roxy answered and headed for the kitchen to dish it up. The sisters tried not to laugh as they watched the guys shoot questioning looks between each other.

"What the hell kind of fucked up redneck shit is possum pie?" Tig finally whispered.

"Where the hell did she get a possum?" Bobby mused.

Juice was wondering the same things and trying to figure out how the heck she had managed to make a pie out of it and if _meat_ really counted as _dessert_. Chibs just looked amused by it all and was ready to try whatever it turned out to be. He was sure he had eaten way worse in his life.

"Possums are those grey furry things right?" Half Sack grimaced. "Yeah…I can't eat that…I got to skip it like I did the chicken."

Vix just smiled. "Trust me boys…it's fine…you are going to be very happy."

And they were…as soon as they found out that possum pie didn't contain any actual possum. It was actually a chocolate pudding, cream cheese and whipped cream concoction that Bobby quickly dubbed 'heaven on a plate.'

After dinner, the crew decided to watch that night's UFC fight. Jaci and Roxy started clearing the table as the guys headed to the living room to grab their seats for the night. As Juice grabbed the remote and started trolling for the right channel, Bobby sat down in the leather chair leaving Chibs and Tig to grab seats on the huge leather sectional sofa. Half Sack headed for the sofa as well but Chibs held up a hand.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Chibs asked.

"Um, watching the fight?" Half Sack stopped and answered with unease in his voice.

Chibs shook his head. "Those dishes aren't gonna wash themselves, Prospect."

"But the girls are…" Half Sack frowned and glanced back toward the kitchen. "They have a dishwasher."

"Yeah and his name is Half Sack. Move your ass." Tig added with an up-nod of his head. "Tell the girls to get in here."

"Better hustle. You're gonna miss the fights." Bobby chimed in as he propped his feet on the ottoman. Vix just grinned from her perch on the couch. She was absolved of all clean up duty due to her current medical recuperation.

Half Sack dropped his shoulders and sulked back into the kitchen to get started with clean up. He had to physically shove the women out of the kitchen finally begging them to _just go already_ or else Chibs would have his ass for screwing up a Prospect chore.

The fights began and so did the yelling in the living room. Roxy must have not followed the UFC much because she was picking her fave fighter based on how cute he was. There was some discussion between the girls concerning whether or not Forrest Griffin's ears made him resemble a monkey but they determined he was a cute monkey nonetheless. Jaci and Vix called MMA the 'gayest sport ever' and when the guys tried to defend it, the girls pointed out how obvious the signs were: hot muscled up sweaty guys, rolling around on top of each other. Vix declared if she were a gay guy, MMA fighting would be her profession. Next the crew moved on to critiquing the ring girls. Apparently there was a new redheaded girl that Bobby was convinced to be a post op tranny.

All the kidding stopped when the fighting started. The sisters were very into the fighting and yelled comments like _Come on already, punch him! Are you kidding me? Take him down! Oh for the love of God, JAB!! _ Vix kept forgetting that yelling and laughing actually hurt, since her stomach was still tender from her surgery so most of her comments sounded like _Yeah, fuck him up!! Ow, shit that hurts. _Tig and Chibs shared an amused look after they saw all riled up the Parker chicks got. Although Chibs had lost some of his enthusiasm, as he was now spending the bulk of each match trying to figure out if any of the fighters were in fact, gay. The girls' theory had given a whole new meaning to _ground and pound._

Jaci was being nice and stood at the edge of the living room so she could yell updates to Kip in the kitchen. Everyone laughed at her play by play. "Kip, you better hurry!! Bisbing's getting his ass handed to him!" She heard him groan in response. She watched the screen again and shook her head. "Oooh, he just gave up his back. Oh man, here it comes…guillotine! He's tappin'! It's over!"

Kip finally finished his chores and took a spot on the floor in front of the TV. Jaci decided to settle in and headed for the couch. Juice and Vix were laid out and cuddled up on one side of the sofa with Roxy sitting at their feet. Chibs and Tig were sitting next to each other on the sectional's other side. She almost opted to sit in the floor with Kip but then thought _Fuck it. Everyone just has to come to grips with this._ She squeezed in on Tig's left side. He just glanced at her and raised his eyebrows. She smirked but stared straight ahead at the television. A normal guy would have put his arm around her but Tig was far from that. They sat awkwardly side by side until everyone's attention turned away from them… then he rested his beer on her knee. She fought back a smile.

The next night, Jaci waited until the house was quiet and then she invited Tig over. Roxy had called it a night and headed to bed. Juice and Vix were in her room watching some dramatic dumb shit on the television. No comedy for the recuperating Vix, since laughing still hurt.

He was hoping for a booty call but Jaci made it very clear, very quickly that there would be no funny business while Roxy was still staying at the house, it would be disrespectful. Tig was getting frustrated and wanted to tell her just where she could shove her respect but kept his mouth shut. She was obviously tired, having just pulled yet another twelve hour day at the office. She was scrambling to make up for the week she lost while Vix was in the hospital. He resigned himself to just being glad he got any alone time with her at all.

They headed to the back deck for some solitude. He was stretched out on the patio loveseat, his feet propped up on the corner of the fire pit. Jaci was curled up against him, with one leg pulled up and resting across his hips, her head laying in the crook his arm and her arm on his chest. He had an arm wrapped around her back. Since seeing her almost choked to death by a Nord, Tig didn't mind displays of affection, as long as they were _privat_e ones. He finally made up his mind that there were much worse things in life than having a beautiful woman lying in your arms. He should stop bitching and just go with the flow. Both had their eyes closed and were completely relaxed…well, one of them was.

"What are you thinking?" Tig asked. "Feels like smoke's gonna come out your ears."

Jaci didn't move from her comfortable position. "Mmm, I'm thinking of getting a second job. How much do strippers really make?"

"The fuck you talking about?" Tig snorted a laugh.

Jaci rambled aloud. "I've got a good body and can dance pretty well. I'm strong and fairly coordinated so I should be able to get those little pole tricks down pat. Probably need a boob job to get any big tips but I should do ok without it, right? Could I pull down an extra couple hundred a week?"

"Your tits are fine." He mumbled lazily. "I'll give you $5 to strip right now."

Jaci slapped his chest. "I'm serious. It's either stripping or bartending. I think something tip oriented would be best; fastest way to build a bank up."

He wasn't sure _why_ she was talking about this subject but decided to play along. "You'd never make it as a stripper. Strippers are basically whores without the fuckin'. You're too… nice…and selective. Some old fat nasty dude would ask you for a lap dance and you'd run the other way."

"I could get dirty." Jaci said defensively.

"If you're getting dirty, it better be with _me._" Tig warned with a laugh. "Besides, when are you going to have time for this second job…you're already working too much as it is. What's with the sudden need for money? Thought you were loaded."

_Used to be loaded, moving to Charming is started to put a big dent in all of that. _She thought. She hesitated then said, "I have a little confession."

"Shit…what now?" He opened his eyes and stared upwards.

Jaci sighed but stayed curled against him. She ran her finger along his cut as she blurted her confession. "Vix doesn't have any health insurance. I had been on her ass to get some and she finally filled out the paperwork and I was supposed to handle the rest of it but the papers caught lost in some of my work stuff and I forgot about them. I'm such a fucking idiot. I'm normally so on top of stuff, but it's been goddamn crazy around here since the day we set foot in this town again."

"See what happens when you try to do _everything_." He had told her a million times to stop helping every damn body and make people do shit for themselves. He rubbed the back of her neck. "How much is the hospital bill? Maybe the crew could do a charity run thing or something. Some kind of fundraiser thing… I don't know."

"Well thanks for the offer to help but Vix doesn't exactly _know _she's uninsured and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible. She doesn't need to add worry to her recovery. Besides, there's no way we could cover this with a fundraiser." She pulled away from him and sat up. She grimaced as she spoke, "It's a hundred and seventy five thousand dollars, Tig."

"Holy fuck." His mouth dropped open. "Are you shitting me??" He sat up frowning in stunned amazement. "How can it be that much?!"

Jaci shrugged. "She was in there a week, surgery, ICU; plus the hospital charges more if you don't have any insurance."

"Jesus. What do they expect you to do, rob a bank?" Tig stood up and began to walk around the deck. "Isn't there some kind of government assistance program or some shit? I mean Vix can't make much money cutting hair."

Jaci leaned against the back of the couch and crossed her arms. "Well, yeah, there's charity care but you have to sign up for that during treatment. You have to disclose damn near everything in your life and I think sometimes the doctors skip out on treatment when they know you're a charity case so I didn't sign her up. In hindsight that was a really stupid fucking decision." She raised her eyebrows at him. "See why I want to jump on a pole now? Could I practice on the one at the clubhouse?"

Tig pointed to her quickly. "No poles! Everybody keeps their clothes on. Just sit tight for a few days, ok? Let me think on this." He pulled her to her feet. "Shit…we'll figure something out." He didn't have a damn clue how to come up with that much money but at least he _sounded _encouraging.

Two days later, Jaci was cleaning house after work one night when the door bell rang; Gemma was standing on her front step. Jaci opened the door while wondering what kind of hell was coming her way now. She let Gemma inside after apologizing for the loud 80's music that was blaring but she had to have tunes while cleaning.

"Is Vix around?" Gemma asked.

"No, Roxy drove her over to Juice's place. She's starting to get cabin fever, can't drive for a bit yet."

"I bet. Well, it's better she's gone anyway." Gemma handed Jaci an envelope she had been slapping against her palm. "I believe you misplaced these items?"

Jaci frowned and looked through the envelope. Inside were some documents and two insurance cards with Vix's name on them…stamped with a date of two weeks _before_ her hospital drama. She stared at the cards…_Are these REAL?...oooh Tig…what did he do?_ She glanced up at Gemma who must have read her mind.

"Yes, they're legit and Tig told Clay, who told me. Just so happens Luann has some good dirt on Mr. Harvey at the insurance office…seems he has quite the appetite for _questionable_ porn. He was very happy to backdate a few documents to keep that info far away from his wife's mailbox." Gemma explained. "Just take those to the hospital, tell them you had misplaced them during all the excitement. They'll file everything and you'll be left owning a few thousand."

"Well, normally I am against blackmail and bending rules but in this case…thank you very much?" Jaci ventured. The hospital would discount most of the services because of the insurance; she could handle ponying up less than ten grand over time to settle the bill.

Gemma smiled and tapped the papers. "You're welcome very much. Hospital is a damn racket anyway, taking advantage of people. This shit isn't free though. You owe me $500 bucks…had to pay first and last month's premiums."

Jaci nodded without hesitation. "No problem. I'll go hit the ATM."

Gemma waved her off. "No rush. Just drop the money by the shop whenever." She thought for a moment and then smiled. "Or better yet, just give it to Tig next time you see him, he can pass it along."

"Tig…yeah." Jaci smiled good naturedly and nodded her head. "Guess you want to throw in your two cents on that subject too? Go ahead…free country…everyone's entitled to an opinion I guess."

Gemma wrinkled her nose. "Eh, you're a smart girl. Nothing I could warn you about that you haven't already thought about, right?" She waved her hand and walked to the door. "I say enjoy yourself." As she stepped onto the front stoop, she added, "I hear he's a hell of a good lay."

Jaci couldn't stop herself from busting out with embarrassed laughter. _Holy shit she doesn't pull any punches! _A thought suddenly stopped her laughing fit. "Oh God, please tell me you don't know that from personal experience??"

"You got nothing to worry about from me, darlin'." Gemma replied but cocked her head. "Now the rest of the town…that's another story."

"And that's why we aren't going full on public." Jaci said with a laugh. "I don't want to see all the dirty looks from past conquests while I'm grocery shopping." Jaci smiled gratefully at Gemma. "Seriously though, thanks for the…help. I owe you one."

"No problem." Gemma gave her a wink. "And I won't forget that favor either…that'll come due some day. Tell Vix to get her ass well, with her and Cherry gone there's no one to do my hair the way I like it."

Teller Morrow had just closed for the day. Bobby and Chibs were seated a table at the clubhouse while Half Sack shot a solo game of pool. Tig paced around the room.

Bobby glanced at Tig. "Ok, I may regret asking, but why the hell are you so antsy? You've been jittery all day."

"He's got a hot date coming up." Chibs replied with a grimace as he tried to get comfortable in his chair. He had managed to screw up a muscle in his shoulder and it was giving him hell. He winced. "Ahhgh…goddamn back!"

Tig shot Chibs a harsh look while Bobby raised his eyebrows. "Date huh? Jaci know about this little event?"

"Yeah, asshole… she does…it's with her." Tig smirked and then explained quietly. "She's sneaking over to my place tomorrow night."

Chibs rolled his shoulders, causing him to flinch in pain. "Remind me again why the hell you agreed to that?"

"Ass, bro. Her house has turned into a convalesce home with Vix trying to recoup. Juice is always over there and her aunt is still there. Add the damn ATF maybe still lurking around and I'm getting cock blocked at every turn." Tig replied. While complaining about not being to get any alone time with Jaci, she had reminded him his house would be the perfect get away, he was standing in his own way of being with her. The thought of her being at his place unnerved the hell out of him, but he had already turned her away from coming over once with damn near tragic results. If he balked at her coming over again, it would surely cause problems so he had relented.

Bobby shook his head. "If she's coming over you've got some serious damage control to do with that house."

"No shit…when's the last time a woman even saw your house in the daytime?" Half Sack joked from across the room. "Jaci's a big neat freak ya know?"

"Stay out of this, Prospect!" Tig yelled and tried to be cool but he was actually nervous about the whole event. "I cleaned house last night, straightened up and stuff."

"Is this a date night or a fuck night?" Bobby inquired.

"There's a difference?" Tig laughed and shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Bobby and Chibs looked at each other and then began to rattle off questions and comments, rapid fire; both being helpful in their own way.

Bobby's comments were aimed to toward making Jaci comfortable:

"Oh, it's a huge fucking deal to her, trust me. Is your bathroom clean and I mean _really _clean? No dirty dishes in the kitchen? Are you cooking her dinner? Make sure there isn't anything growing in your fridge. Don't want to give her food poisoning. Did you sweep and mop and vacuum? Please tell me there are fresh sheets on the bed. It wouldn't surprise me if Jaci carried one of those little black lights in her purse. You should probably buy some candles too…your house probably smells like ass. Get vanilla or coffee ones, not some overwhelming flowery bullshit. She's not a girly girl, she's more modern/contemporary."

Chibs' comments were aimed at keeping Tig alive though the ordeal:

"Porn mags hidden? Cleaned out your medicine cabinet? Women like to pilfer through that shit. Bedroom check: did ya hide all the kinky shit…well, at least the stuff she's not into? Check under your bed too…don't want her coming across another bitch's knickers when she's looking for hers. Might want to check your couch cushions too. Good point on the sheets…do not try to fuck her on dirty sheets, brother. She will kill you. Think of tonight like a mini ATF raid…sanitize your shit man or you'll get busted. Hide your blow up doll collection and tell the croweaters to steer clear for the night."

"Oooh, flowers!" Again Half Sack piped in lamely from his pool game. "You could buy her flowers. Chicks love that, right?"

Tig stared blankly as he listened to the barrage of advice and questions. He was getting that overwhelmed feeling again that he had been fighting off ever since he agreed to let her come over to his place. "You know what? Fuck this, I can't have her in my house. This was a bad idea. I'm just going to call her, tell her to forget it…we'll go to a motel. Problem solved." Chibs grinned and nodded in agreement.

Bobby blasted him. "She's not some whore, Tig. You can't take a woman like Jaci to a goddamn roach motel on the side of the road somewhere. She'll dump your dumbass for sure."

"Well, what if it was a nice motel?" Tig tried to counter with a forced laugh. "Ah, fuck it. Whatever happens, happens; she doesn't like it, she can leave." He hoped that his fake bravado would have time to translate into reality by the time the event rolled around.

That statement ended the discussion and Half Sack hollered for Chibs to come play a round of pool against him. Chibs whined about the pain in his shoulder every time he took a shot, cussing loudly most times. Tig suffered through a game before he had had enough of the Scotsman's bitching.

"Chibs, fucking shut up already, man. Take a pill for Christ's sakes. The fuck did you do?" Tig asked with annoyance.

"I got a goddamn knot back 'er or something. Hurts like a bitch. I think I pulled something fuckin' that stripper the other night." Chibs replied as he gave up trying to play pool and tried to get comfortable on the couch instead. He smiled widely. "It got a little acrobatic if you know what I mean." Tig laughed and took his place at the pool table with the Prospect.

Bobby smiled and shook his head as he continued to thumb through the newspaper. After a few minutes his mind wandered to Tig's impending date night. He had wanted to think Tig's being with Jaci was a joke or a fluke but all the signs were pointing to something different. Tig came clean to the crew in Church of all places, watched over her and her family for a week, and now he was having her over to his house? That was some serious shit. He thought back to the other night at the Parkers' house. While Tig and Jaci had kept their distance from each other physically for the most part, Bobby had been surprised to see how playful the pair was with each other. They had tossed barbs at each other during dinner and while watching the fights. He had never seen Tig smile so much. And it wasn't that creepy predatory smile of his, it was actually genuine. He seemed to be very taken with her. Bobby would have thought Jaci would have known better than to get mixed up with a guy like Tig but it was obvious she saw something in him. All very odd indeed.

Tig left the pool table and head back to the bar to grab another beer. Bobby pushed his reading glasses on top of his head and lowered his voice. "You like her don't you?"

Tig didn't even bother asking who Bobby was talking about. He knew. He just shrugged but didn't answer.

"No, I can see through all your macho bullshit here." Bobby warned. "You're nervous about her coming over…you don't want to fuck things up with her, right? There's really something there with you two."

"Maybe…so what?" Tig replied defensively.

"Well, so…her coming over is a big deal…at least to _her._ And your 'fuck and chuck em' track record does not translate to much experience in how to treat a lady right. So seriously, let me give you some advice."

Tig stifled a laugh. "Bobby, the last time you had a real date, it was probably to the opening night of Dances with Wolves; you were sporting Hammer pants and an earring. What advice are you possibly going to give me?"

Bobby threw up his hands. "Fine, act like you don't give a shit but I'm going to do you a favor, ok? I'm going to take a quick run around town and get you everything you need for tomorrow." Bobby got up from the barstool to leave. "I'll leave it at your front door; you just follow the instructions inside alright?" He clapped Tig on the shoulder and said seriously, "Jaci's a hell of a woman, Tig; don't fuck up tomorrow night with her."

He slapped Bobby on the back in return and nodded.

Tig made yet another run through of his house to make sure everything was in order. He glanced at the clock on the wall again and ran his hands through his hair and then began to pace around the living room and kitchen. He smoked a cigarette as he paced. _Ah, shit. Now the damn place is going to smell like smoke instead of the fucking candles. _He finished smoking outside and then came back inside to pace some more. He had nearly called her three times to cancel the whole damn night. Her coming over just didn't feel right to him. He checked on dinner again, which was baking in the oven; it seemed to be alright but what the fuck did he know about _baking_? He took another swig from the bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on the kitchen counter. He was leaning against the counter when he heard footsteps and then a knock at his back door. His date had arrived. He ran his hands through his hair one more time and crossed the kitchen to the backdoor chanting, _don't fuck this up, don't fuck this up_.

He pulled open the door while Jaci was mid-knock. She froze with her hand in air. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. "Hey."

"Hey." Tig replied and stood blocking the doorway. He looked her over and noticed she had a large brown leather purse hanging from one shoulder. He couldn't really remember even seeing her carrying a purse…this one must be serving as an overnight bag. _Shit._

After standing for a moment in silence, she tapped the door jab with her finger. "Uh, can I come inside?" Her heart continued to pound heavily, just as it had been since she left her house to drive over to his place. It was weird to be so nervous going to see a man that she had been sleeping with for months now but she had butterflies in her stomach nonetheless.

"Huh? Oh shit… yeah." Tig moved away from the door and she slipped inside.

"It smells really good in here." Jaci commented as she walked further into the kitchen.

Tig followed her and explained. "Uh, that's candles. Dinner's in the oven too." He stood next to her and suddenly didn't know what to do with his hands, touching her seemed wrong though, which made no sense to him since the whole point of her being here was to be able to fuck her_._ He finally settled for leaning against the kitchen counter again and crossing his arms.

She seemed a little shocked with the mention of candles and dinner making. "Wow. I'm impressed." Her expectations for the night were extremely low so he was already ahead of the game. She watched him fidgeting and wondered if he was as nervous as she was. She crossed her arms too and tried to make conversation. "Um, is that shirt new?" She asked. He was wearing a dark grey vintage style t-shirt that she had never seen before; it was a little tight and highlighted his muscles and eyes nicely.

Tig frowned and looked down at his shirt. "This? No, it's old." He lied; he had bought it that very morning.

"Oh, well it looks…nice." Jaci replied. She blasted herself internally, '_It looks nice'…God, Jaci, you are such a tool! Damnit, why is this so awkward?! _

He watched her struggling to think of something else to say. She had shoved her thumbs in the back pockets of her jeans and rocked on her heels, which turned out to be a little sexy because it made her jeans ride lower on her hips and the thin dark blue v-neck t-shirt she was wearing stretched tighter across her chest. He could see just a bit of skin right above her right hip and knew that her dove tattoo was just to the south. He was thinking she looked hot and meant to tell her that but when he spoke all that came out was, "You want a beer?"

"Yes!" She blurted gratefully. She actually felt like she should drink the entire bottle of Jack Daniels that was on the counter behind Tig to calm her nerves but a beer or six would do nicely too. He brought back one for each of them from the fridge.

They fumbled the bottle handoff and Jaci nearly dropped hers. "Oops!" She exclaimed as a little beer sloshed over her hand. Tig mumbled _goddamnit_ under his breath and looked around the kitchen, helplessly, for a towel.

"It's ok…no big deal." Jaci soothed. Tig looked pissed as he stood watching her wiped her beer soaked hand on her jeans. "It's what jeans are for, right?" She eyed him more closely. "Are you ok?"

He grimaced and blurted out, "No! You being here's turned me into a goddamn idiot! I'm fucking wired up like I've been on a coke binge. It's fucking weird having you here, like you're out of place or something."

Jaci's face fell as she listened to his rant. She had been super nervous about coming over to Tig's place but she didn't expect him to be so freaked out. _Shit, this was a bad idea. He's had months to invite you over and he hasn't…because he doesn't WANT you here dumbass. Leave! _"Well…um…ok then. I can go if I'm making you miserable or something. Roxy is leaving tomorrow morning, so you can come by if you want." Her voice didn't hold any anger, just disappointment. She had hoped the night to be better. She sat her beer down and started to walk toward the back door but stopped and turned around while pulling an envelope out of her bag. She shoved it into his hands without looking at him. "Oh, here, give this to Gemma for me please. And… thank you…for…you know…helping with that." She started toward the back door again.

He looked down at the envelope, confused. He quickly glanced inside to see several hundred dollar bills. _Gemma…Insurance money. _He closed his eyes for a second and months' worth of images of them went through his head. Eating Valentine's candy with her in her car. her laughing while playing BINGO, staring at her by fire pit light, sitting next to her in jail, making love to her that night after that pool party, pulling her away from that Nord in the stairwell. The memories made his heart slam harder in his chest. _Come on, you're fucking this up!! _He closed his fist around the money and made it to the back door in three big quick steps. She had one hand on the door knob so he grabbed her right arm.

"Shit, wait…don't leave." He pulled her around to face him and struggled to explain himself. "Look, do you have any idea how many women have been run through this house?"

"Actually, I try not to think about that…" Jaci said quietly. She was sure Tig was in triple digit territory with women in general which was simultaneously awe inspiring and disgusting.

"I'm just saying there's been a lot of bad shit done in this house. I don't like the idea of you being in the same place." He waved his hand around for emphasis. "It's like Good and Evil meeting or something. It feels wrong."

Jaci understood exactly what he was feeling; she did feel out of place. But maybe they were just being stupid and worrying too much. She tried to break the ice. "Well maybe you should have had Father Carlin perform a skank vibe exorcism before you invited me over." She smiled slightly.

"Skank exorcism…nice." Tig replied, but he was smiling too and a moment later they both laughed. Jaci realized she would have to be the one to make the night work. She started to say something else when a smoky smell started to fill the kitchen. They both frowned and glanced around. He shut the back door and she dropped her bag by it. Tig was halfway thinking he might have set something on fire in the house with one of the candles. Jaci, being the cook that she was, headed toward the oven. She opened the oven door and smoke rushed out; sizzling could be heard as well. She immediately slammed the door shut, coughing as she looked at Tig. "Umm, what exactly are you cooking and how long has it been in there?" She sniffed the air. "Smells like a soy sauce explosion!"

Tig looked dumbfounded. He opened a drawer and rifled through it, pulling out a note card. "It's some concoction of Bobby's…_Chinese Chicken _or some shit. And the reason it smells like soy sauce is because there is a whole damn bottle in it." He handed the recipe card to Jaci.

"A whole bottle?" Jaci asked as she looked over the card. A smile broke out on her face. "Uh, Tig…I think it was only supposed to have a tablespoon of soy sauce?"

"Bullshit." He stepped closer so he could read over her shoulder. He pointed at the soy sauce line. "See? It says BTL…bottle."

Jaci shook her head and squinted at the writing. "I _think_ that's a T…for TBL…for tablespoon. Are you dyslexic?"

"Fuck no…Bobby just has shitting handwriting!"

"No argument there." She walked back over to the oven and turned it off. "Well, whatever is was supposed to be…it's pretty much inedible now. We'll just let it cool off in the oven, don't want to flood the house with smoke. You can trash it tomorrow."

"Goddamnit!" Tig exclaimed and stomped out of the room. Jaci followed him into the living room and watched him slump down on the couch. She couldn't help but smile at his pouting.

He frowned at her. "It's not fucking funny. This was a stupid fucking idea. See? There's proof that I suck at this domestic shit. You and Bobby just don't fucking listen."

Jaci rolled her eyes and disappeared back into the kitchen for a moment. He could be such a pouty little kid sometimes. She returned holding her cell phone to her ear and her beer in her other hand. She decided it was time to take control of the situation. She walked over to Tig and thrust the beer at him. She smiled and climbed on top on his lap, facing him. He took a swig as he listened to her finish ordering a pizza; all that effort and they were back to pizza and beer. "Yes, that's all….yep…1304 Blair Street… Trager...ok, thanks."

She ended the call and looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "What?"

Tig smiled but said nothing; he had oddly liked hearing his last name being said by her. "You know you have to wait in the closet when the pizza guy comes by. Can't have anybody seeing you here." He teased.

"You gonna get in there with me later? Wouldn't be in the first time we've been in a closet, although _this _time would be much more fun I'm sure." She countered. Jaci tossed her phone onto the next couch cushion. She stared down at him from her perch on his lap and pulled at the bottom of his t-shirt. "Ok…enough of this being nervous and weird shit, you hear me? We're being stupid. This is no big deal. It's just you and me tonight, hanging out…pizza, beer and sex. Can you handle that? If not, just say so and I'm out the door…and you won't be able to stop me this time."

"Pizza, beer and sex…that was my plan from the beginning. Bobby's the one that made me get all fancy with candles and dinner and shit." Tig explained as he rested his hands on her hips.

"Well, Bobby had the right idea…just overestimated your cooking abilities. No big deal. It's all appreciated." Jaci replied with a grin. She leaned in and kissed him for a few minutes, waiting until he was getting into it before she pulled away. "You just need to relax a little bit." She began unbuckling his belt as she slid backwards off his lap. He watched in surprise as she slid onto her knees on the carpet in front of him and then glanced up at him. "You've got about fifteen minutes."

"I won't need but half that." Tig said with a smile as his right hand found the back of Jaci's head and helped her find the rhythm he needed. _Holy shit. _He leaned his head back against the couch. _Hell, I'll fuck up dinner twice a week if I can get this every time_.

The rest of the night went much smoother than the beginning. They ate and drank and made out on the couch intermittently while watching TV. Really shockingly _normal_ behavior; Tig was amused by how much he liked it. They got caught up in a COPS marathon and spent two hours laughing their asses off about the dumb criminals on the show and swapping stories about people they knew in similar situations. They got around to making out again and things were heating up when Tig suddenly clicked off the TV and stared at her.

"What? What's wrong?" Jaci frowned. "Why are you stopping?"

"You really ok with being here?" He pushed up on one arm while next to her so he could see her face.

"I'm fine." She ground her hips upward into him. "Don't I _feel_ _fine_?" When he didn't laugh, she explained. "I think I had your place blown way out of proportion. Like I was going to walk into a frat house and see horribly weird shit." She smiled. "I mean, I fully expected to see bongs and beer cans everywhere and a stripper pole in the living room." They shared a laugh and then she continued. "The real issue is if _you're_ ok with me being here. You were seriously freaked out earlier, Tig."

"This place has a lot of baggage. I didn't want you drowning in it." He said as he climbed off of the couch and stood up. He was suddenly serious. "I don't want to fuck things up with you."

_Holy shit, that's a HUGE statement coming from him. Don't get all mushy on him. Be cool. Keep it light. _"So don't." Jaci replied and smiled. "Give me the bedroom tour, stud."

As he walked her down the hallway, he wrapped her up close to him and whispered into her ear from behind. "You know that stripper pole you were so worried about…I moved it from the living room… to the bedroom." He waited until her head snapped around before telling her he was only joking.

They walked into the bedroom together. There was no need for turning on any lights, candles were already burning. With his hands on her hips, he whispered to her again. "See? Nothing weird. No stripper poles, no sex swings, no gimps on chains in the corner. New sheets on the bed waiting for you to break them in…I think they're 300 count so your pretty little ass won't be completely offended by sleeping on them."

Jaci was stunned. She honestly didn't think he was capable of anything remotely romantic. She smiled and said, "Damn, very nice."

"Just wait…I've figured out some pretty kinky shit to do with all that melted wax." Tig replied with a grin and shoved her toward the bed.

Whatever apprehension they had been feeling dissipated when their clothes came off. They were playful at first but it had been awhile since they had been together so it was hard to keep the intensity level low key for very long. Things were progressing nicely until Tig, without thinking it through, rolled on top of Jaci and pinned her arms downs by her head. He kissed her neck with the full weight on his body on her. Under normal circumstances, Jaci would have loved the position but in light of recent events, i.e. being held down by a Nord in a stairwell, the weight of him and the sense of being helpless jolted her. She tried to twist away from Tig but he thought she was playing with him so he held her down harder.

"Tig…let go." She whispered, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. It was an odd sensation, her brain knew she was safe with him but her body wasn't listening. He ignored her and kept kissing her. She gritted her teeth and growled, "Tig…get off of me!" He stopped what he was doing, let go of her wrists and pushed himself up on his hands. "What's wrong with you?" He asked with a frown.

With his weight off of her, she took a few deep breaths. She didn't want to ruin the moment or make him worry about her. She stared up into his eyes…eyes that didn't want to hurt her. It was ok. An idea clicked in her head suddenly and she smiled. What better way to gain control back than to _be_ in control? "Let me on top."

He looked down at her. "Wanna ride, do you?" When she nodded, he grinned and twisted swiftly onto his back. "Oh, hell yeah. Come on then." She usually let him set the pace in the bedroom, so any time she wanted to take the lead, he was more than happy to let her do it; it usually had great results and this time was no exception.

Jaci woke up a few hours later and was slightly disoriented. The clock on the bedside table said 4 am but the room was brighter than it should have been. Then she realized they had left all the candles burning in the room. _Shit, we could have burned down the whole house!_ She pushed Tig's arm off of her and slid out of bed to start blowing them out.

Tig awoke to find her walking around the room naked. He lifted his head and smiled in confusion. "You look fucking great in candlelight."

Jaci blew out the last candle. "Well, thanks but we're lucky we not on FIRE right now." She sat back down on the bed, the room was pitch black. "I'm going to hit the road."

"It's only 4."

"But isn't this about the time you usually kick out chicks? Don't want to make you uncomfortable." She was teasing, but only partially.

"I do usually have a strict 'no daylight' policy…but you're the exception to that rule." He replied with a smile in his voice. More seriously he added, "Hell, I think you're the exception to most of my rules." He sat up, throwing back the sheet and reached across the bed until he could grab a hold of her wrist. He pulled her towards him as he laid back down. "Get your ass back in here." She obliged and intertwined her body with his until they were both comfortable. They talked about the previous night for a few minutes and then settled into silence.

Jaci had been debating with her self for days over whether or not to bring up the subject that was running through her head. Given all the drama they had just been through with Vix and the Nords and the insurance money and how he had came through for her… things had shifted between them. They were both dancing around it but things had definitely been taken up a notch.

She was lying on her back with his arm across her stomach. "Tig?" She asked quietly, checking to make sure he was still awake.

"Mmm?"

She took a deep breath and was thankful for the bravery that the dark room gave her. "I don't want to freak you out, but…you know where I'm at with you, right? How I feel?"

He was pretty sure how she felt about him; she had to be feeling something pretty solid to have stayed with him this long. They certainly had been through some shit. Tig thought for a moment and his mind wandered over that night after the pool party when he had told her that words were bullshit. Now it seemed she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it, trying to respect his feelings toward all of that, trying not to spook him.

"Tig?" She ventured when he didn't respond.

"I heard you." He paused and added playfully. "And I think you should be probably be in a mental institution for feeling that way about me."

"Padded room huh? Well, maybe." She conceded. "But you're not running away from all of this either…maybe you need the cell next to me?"

"Maybe." He replied.

She settled in next to him and they fell asleep. She snuck out a few hours later, took a shower, got dressed and headed to her place to pick up Roxy and take her to the airport. Tig woke up for a few moments when he heard the back door open and shut. He fell back asleep thinking that maybe there was some compromise to be had with Jaci, a way to keep them both happy.

He sucked at hardcore domestic life and wouldn't go back down that path for any woman again, not even her. But maybe there was some grey area on the Domestication Scale that would suffice, that could be enough to keep her around and enough to keep him from going stir crazy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 2- Buy/Bye, Baby**

**By BG and Reapergirl**

"Mother … Shit… _**Fuck!" **_Donna cursed as she burnt her thumb taking the pizza out of the oven.

"Mothershitfuck" said a small voice from behind her. She wheeled around to see Kenny standing there. "Mommy, did you say mothershitfuck?"

"No! I mean yes, I did … but those are bad words – so don't repeat them, ever!"

Donna was running late on getting to the parent/teacher conference at the elementary school. Opie was supposed to be home a half hour ago to watch the kids and _**big surprise**_, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him. She walked over to the sink and ran cold water over the throbbing burn.

"ELLIE!" Kenny shouted as his sister walked into the kitchen, "Mommy said _mothershitfuck_."

"KENNY! Stop it!" Donna chided as the phone began to ring. "I told you not to repeat those words." She picked up the phone and wedged it between her shoulder and her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, honey." Opie said. "I'm sorry but I am tied up here at the shop and I'm gonna be a while."

"But you know I needed you to watch the kids while I go to their school. I even chose an evening time slot so you would be here to watch them."

"Well, what do you want me to do? They need me here."

Donna pulled her thumb out from under the water and twisted the faucet handle to turn it off. Looking from her burnt finger to her kids, she sighed. "You're needed here too, you know."

"Don't go all melodramatic on me, Donna."

She heaved an exasperated sigh, "What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Take the kids with you."

"I can't! They specifically said no kid…"

Opie cut her off. "Do you really need to go? Isn't the year half over anyway?"

Donna wanted to slam the receiver down but it was a cordless phone so all she could do was push the _off_ button as hard as she could. Unfortunately for Donna, she did it with the thumb she had just burnt and was now in worse pain than before. With another sigh, she quickly located and dialed a phone number.

"Parker Place." Vix's voice chirped on the line.

"Vix? Hi. This is Donna…Donna Winston?"

Vix laughed, "I know who you are. You're actually the only Donna I have ever known. Interesting, huh?"

In her kitchen, Donna closed her eyes and nodded, "Yeah... um, _totally_. Is your sister at home?" She did not have a lot of friends in town and she avoided women associated with the club at all costs but she had managed to make nice with Jaci during a recent club event and thought she might be able to get some help.

"You just missed her. She's taking Aunt Roxy to the airport."

Donna sighed, dreading having to ask for help from the wrong Parker sister. "Ok, I am in a bit of a jam. Opie is stuck at Teller Morrow and I have appointments to meet the kids' teachers. Could you maybe watch Kenny and Ellie for about two hours? I know you're recouping and all but I really…"

"No problem." Vix said brightly. "We just opened a bottle of Absolut and got plenty to go around." Vix waited for Donna to laugh but she didn't so Vix added for clarification, "I was just joking. You knew that right?"

"Yeah. Um, we'll be there in about 15 minutes."

Donna dropped Ellie and Kenny off at Parker Place and then raced to the elementary school.

As she drove home from the conferences later that night, Donna's mind wandered down a path that had become all too familiar as of late; her family life was going to hell on an express train and she was helpless to stop it. The loud screeching of brakes snapped Donna out of her contemplation and she starred in horror at the fast approaching car. She had just enough time to swerve out of the way so that it only grazed the rear bumper of her car.

Donna sat for a moment, trembling. The driver of the other car was standing on the side of the street waving his arms and yelling in her direction, "Hey lady… you color blind or something? You not notice you ran a RED light?!"

Emerging from her car, Donna apologized profusely for the accident and offered up her insurance information, all the while cursing at the thought of higher premiums. She shook her head and added this moment to her list of all the ways LIFE was currently fucking her_._

Once back in her car, Donna took stock and realized that it was just a minor little accident and that she was ok. She sighed with relief that she was not hurt or worse. After all, who would clean the house? Pay the bills? Cook? Take care of the kids? Make sure they got their homework done? Take them to their appointments?

She was still running through the list in her mind when she pulled up to Parker Place ten minutes later. Juice opened the door and Donna walked into the living room to find Ellie and Kenny drinking Pepsi and munching on a huge pile of Oreo cookies and chocolate-covered donuts. She smiled at Vix, "I think I would've preferred you give them the Absolut. They are gonna be bouncing off the walls."

"Not to worry." Vix called from her seat on the couch, with a wink, "I spiked their sodas."

Donna laughed, "Ok, kids… say bye to Juice and Vix."

The kids gathered their things and said their goodbyes. Juice walked Donna and the kids out to her car. "So, were they good?"

Juice nodded, "As gold." Donna looked relieved. "Hey what happened to your bumper?"

"Little fender bender, no worries. Well unless you take into consideration the inconvenience the whole ordeal had to the other driver; total jerk."

Juice rolled his eyes. "You shoulda told him off. One word woulda been perfect."

"Really, what's that?"

Juice grinned. "Mothershitfuck!"

Donna gasped. "Oh God!" She glanced into the car where Kenny was sitting in the backseat of the car.

"That's classic!" Juice laughed. "Vix laughed so hard when he told us _Mommy's new word_ that she needed to pop a pain pill."

Donna nodded in resigned embarrassment. "Well, thanks for watching them for me on such short notice and all."

Juice nodded. "Any time, they're good kids."

**

**The next morning…**

"Jaci went to Oakland last night, took Aunt Roxy to the airport. She's workin' from there today, why?" Vix said into the phone.

"We've been given a mission." Half-Sack replied and then added, "and there is no way of not accepting it. We'll be at your place in twenty."

"Can't wait." Came the reply followed by the line going dead.

Bobby sauntered out of the club house. "I'll meet ya at the Parkers." He said as he straddled his bike and adjusted his sunglasses.

"Um, Clay said to take the van." Half-Sack said hesitantly as he tucked his cell phone in his pocket.

Bobby raised his eyebrow and stared past the Prospect at the vehicle. "Seriously? _The_ _Lo__ser Cruiser_?"

Half Sack nodded. "You know, better for bringing home the stuff."

Bobby nodded. "Can't disagree with that logic... wish I could... but I can't." Grumbling he walked over and climbed into the passenger seat as the Prospect climbed in behind the wheel. "So who are we buyin' for again?"

"Abel."

Bobby slowly turned his head to stare at the dense Prospect. "Really?! No shit, Sherlock."

"Oh! Right. You meant… um, who all went in on the presents. Um, pretty much everybody. We got a lot of cash."

Chibs banged on the side of the van and stuck his head in the passenger's side window. "Ah, Bobby, Clay needs ya here. Looks like I'll be venturin' to O-Town with the shopping brigade instead of you."

Tig leaned in the driver's side window as Bobby chuckled, "Tigger going along for the ride too?"

Tig smirked, "The only stores I go in are parts stores, grocery stores, and liquor stores. No way in Hell are you dragging me into a baby store."

Half-Sack frowned, '"Uh I don't think Abel really needs a carburetor, beef jerky or Jack Daniels."

"Well he's shit out of luck then." Tig announced with a shrug and walked off leaving the rest of them staring at his back.

"What is his problem, exactly?" Half Sack asked.

Bobby sighed, exchanging glances with Chibs, "He has so many it feels unfair to pick just one."

***

Chibs leaned across the front seat, pushing the Prospect out of the way and slammed his fist into the car horn. He roared, "Come on Parker… we're burnin' daylight."

The front door of the house opened up and out hobbled Vix, followed by Juice. She stared at the van, "Seriously? You, me, Chibs and Kipp? Could they find anyone less suited for this job?"

Juice shrugged. "Probably not but Half-Sack says he practically helped raise his nephew and niece so he should have a clue."

Vix kept her doubts to herself as she climbed in the back seat.

"About bloody time." Chibs said over his shoulder.

"I am moving as fast as I can." Vix replied.

"Somehow I doubt that." Chibs countered.

"Shut up and drink your beer, Chibsy." She did a double take. "Wait, you're drinking beer, at noon, on Tuesday?"

Chibs smiled, "Yes, but not in a bar that faces a giant car wash."

"Chibsy gets mad points for picking up on the Sheryl Crow reference." Vix laughed.

The Scot chuckled and bowed. "Speaking of tunes, eighty six the hillbilly hoedown and find me some classic rock."

"Hey, I like this song." Vix says. "Blake Shelton has an awesome voice."

Chibs rolled his eyes. "This stuff grates on my nerves as much as that hippity-hop shite."

"I vote for hard rock. 95.1 will suit me just fine." Juice interjected.

Half-Sack groaned, "Come on guys, no radio wars today. Besides isn't the rule he who drives controls the tunes?"

Chibs, Juice and Vix all turned their heads and stared at the Prospect and then laughed.

"Yeah Right!" said Juice.

"Oook, well then Rock, Paper, Scissors." suggested Half-Sack. "We will Rock, Paper, Scissors for control of the radio."

"Gun!" Shouted Chibs.

"Um, that isn't one of the options, Chibs." Vix corrected.

"Oh, it most certainly is." Chibs replied pulling out his hand gun. "Both Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson would tend to agree. Now find me some bloody classic rock."

"Jesus Christ!" said Vix, "You're packing?"

"We are going to O-town." Chibs reminded.

"And you're what? Expecting a rumble at the Babies R Us?"

"Ah, Vix, love. It's better to have a gun and not need one then need a gun and not have one."

Half-Sack flipped though the channels and came across Foreigner's _**Jukebox Hero**_, Chibs turned and pointed the gun at the Prospect saying, "That'll do."

Vix shook her head and glanced at Juice who only shrugged. "God bless the inventor of the iPOD. Wake me up when we get there."

**

Bobby and Clay were sitting in the clubhouse enjoying a cold beer when Opie approached them. "Hey Clay, um…I know you got money tied up in the rebuild but I was wondering if I could get my payout for Hefner?"

The elder Sons exchanged a glance and Opie explained further, "Two mortgage payments behind."

"Ahh, you shoulda said something, man." Clay answered. "You know waiting for the money wasn't mandatory."

Opie nodded, "I know, I was just tryin' to help the club."

Bobby eyed Clay and then said, "That's alright. I'll pull it outta the treasury fund."

"Thanks, man." Opie replied as he turned to walk away.

"Hey, Op." Clay hollered after him. "You doin' ok?"

Opie stopped and nodded. "Yeah, just shit at home. I got it handled."

After watching Opie walk out of the clubhouse Clay looked at Bobby. "What's going on with him?"

Bobby shook his head and said, "His heart is in it. His head...his head is someplace else."

Clay sighed and stood up, "Too much of that shit goin' on lately."

"Mmm hmm." Bobby nodded.

**

"Are you gonna make it?" Juice asked Vix as she hobbled through the doors of the baby super store.

"I'll be fine." She said through clenched teeth, "Might've been a bit better without the _five-mile hike_ though the parking lot."

"Sorry. I drove around for five minutes trying to find a closer spot." Half-sack answered in his defense.

"Yeah, yeah. If you're really sorry you'll go snag me one of those motorized thingies." When he hesitated, Vix continued. "Come on, Kipp… look at the size of this place. It's like five acres of every imaginable baby contraption. Now unless you three want to take turns carrying my ass by the time we reach aisle 5, I suggest you saunter over there to customer service and get me a god damned scooter." She smiled sweetly at him and added, "Pretty please!"

Half-Sack walked away towards the customer service desk. "So does anyone have a clue what we need to get?" Vix asked.

Chibs shrugged with Juice doing the same. Vix sighed and pulled out her cell phone. "Whatcha doin'?"

"You called me at work, Vix… what do you think I'm doing?" Jaci replied flatly.

"Um, workin'?"

Jaci laughed. "What's up, buttercup?"

"Oh just wonderin' when you're takin' lunch?"

Jaci glanced at the half-empty bag of gummy bears and the can of coke in front of her on the desk and sighed. "I am eating it right now. Why?"

"Well, we're sorta in need of guidance."

"What kind and who is _we?_"

Vix quickly explained the situation and once she stopped laughing Jaci agreed to meet them at the store as soon as possible. Vix hung up just as Half-Sack was pulling up on the motorized cart. She smiled, jumped on, and took off down the first aisle.

Things were going good. Well, if you took into consideration the amount of _sensible_ baby loot that was piling up in the basket of Vix's motorized cart, AND if you overlooked the concerned glances from the staff and the double-takes from other patrons. Seriously they had to be a sight; three "biker dudes" with colors flying, accompanying a tattooed chick with pale-pink spiked hair motoring about on a scooter in a consumer wonderland of baby goods. So, things were going good until they reached aisle 8. Aisle 8 began the 'feeding section'. Bottles of very shape and size, bottle warmers, bottle brushes, bottle sanitizers, bags to keep the bottles in… dishes, spoons, forks, bowls, formula and breast pumps.

Breast pumps were where they lost Chibs. He was fascinated. So much so that he nabbed a passing sales associate to ask a few questions. He shot Vix a dirty look when she tried to point out that a pump was not a must-have item as Abel was on formula.

When the snotty young lady, appearing to be on the verge of an anxiety attack at having to "deal" with this lot, glanced at Vix with trepidation; Vix just smiled. In her best _Pretty Woman_ imitation she said "You work on commission, right?" Before the girl could answer, Vix said "Chibsy, we'll meet up with ya in baby swings." and motored off followed by Juice and Half-Sack.

***

Chibs met up with the others in time to hear Vix say, "I think they missed the word _under_ in underwear because walkin' around like with their pants like that, their _wear_ is all out in the open and ain't _under_ nothin'."

"Nothin' a staple gun couldn't fix." Chibs chime in and he walked up to the group. "And I thought you were gonna be in the swinging section, this look like clothes to me."

"Got a swing." Juice smiled, holding up the item slip.

"Didn't realize how long that chick would put up with ya. We were taking bets on how long it be until you were escorted out by security." Vix got distracted by a onesie and held it up for the guys to see. "Oh my god! Look at this. HA!" The onesie read "_My goal is to be as charming and sophisticated as my AUNT."_

"You know everyone is gonna think _Jaci_ bought that." Half-Sack laughed.

Vix stood up and glared at him. "I am charming and sophisticated…so fuck you, Kipp."

She turned to sit back down on the scooter only to find Chibs had taken her seat. "Alright, out of my seat."

"You vacate it – you lose it. Besides my bloody feet are killing me and aren't you supposed to be building your strength back up and all that? Now show me how to work this thing." He pushed the controls and the motorized cart jerked ahead. "Woo!"

"I can't fucking believe you are gonna make me walk."

"It'll be good for you." Chibs said as he raced by on the scooter.

"Shhh shhh!" Juice hushed them as an older woman with the air of a boarding school head mistress approached them.

"Are you finding everything you need?" The woman inquired.

"Considering the fact that we don't know what it is we need, I think we are doing just fine." Vix replied. "Thanks for askin'."

"First time?" The woman nodded with presumed understanding. "Your selections are so important and your choices are vast and practically limitless." She motioned with both arms towards the far corners of the store. "You really should stop by our registry department for some professional assistance. It's never too late. How far along are you?"

Juice stared at the woman with his mouth hanging open and his eyes big as saucers. Half-Sack made a 'yikes face' and became instantly fascinated with his boots. Chibs sat on the scooter fighting back a laugh. Vix's eyes narrowed as she looked at the woman, "Excuse me? But you need _professional assistance_ if you think I am knocked up. Seriously lady, bite your tongue…IN HALF!"

The woman stammered. "I… I apologize. I ... judging by your..."

"Judging by my what?"

"By your confusion and the interesting array of your purchases it looked like..."

Juice noticed that Vix was seething and shooting the woman homicidal level looks, so he interrupted, "We're fine. We'll figure it out; we aren't as stupid as we look, really. Well, he…" Juice motioned towards Half-Sack, "I can't speak for him, but…"

The woman nodded and hurried away. Vix exhaled deeply and turned on her heel. "I want to finish and get the hell outta this place. Chibs, give me the goddamn scooter."

Chibs stood up and climbed off the cart. "Of course… after all someone in your condition…" He laughed as he trailed off midsentence.

Juice glared at Chibs. Vix shook her head, "I am not vain but DAMN! She thought I was pregnant? What the hell?" She looked from one guy to the next.

Half-Sack shook his head. Juice shook his head as well, "You look hot babe. That biddy obviously needs glasses."

Chibs, however, puffed out his cheeks and made fatso expressions with his hands.

"Dude! What the fuck?" Juice exclaimed.

"You have to admit it's kinda funny. She has had a lot of people thinking she's pregnant lately." Half-Sack piped in.

Vix did a double take. "Excuse me?"

"They didn't tell you?" Half-Sack asked. "The doctors at the hospital thought you were pregnant, too... well at least until they ruled out that you weren't." Noticing the dumbfounded look on Vix's face and the murderous daggers that Juice was shooting at him, he shut up. He scratched his head with a sheepish look and then announced, "Oooh, look Diaper Genies." and rushed off in that direction.

Vix stared at Juice, who had a deer-in-the-headlights look.

Chibs laughed and in the most god-awful faux Mexican ala Scottish accent you've ever wanted to hear said, "_Lucy you got some 'splaining to do_!" He took off after the Prospect.

Juice smiled that goofy grin of his trying to disarm the situation. "Well, um... but you're not... you weren't... you know... ever. It's just they weren't sure at first... you know... but you're not."

Vix cruised off on the scooter at top speed to the bathroom. She dipped into the handicapped stall at the end of the row and pulled out her cell phone. On the third ring Jaci answered and Vix snapped into the phone, "Where the hell are you and why didn't you tell me I wasn't pregnant?!"

"What the hell are you talkin' about?!"

In a panic induced rant Vix spewed out the details of the last half-hour. At the end of which, Jaci replied, "Oh for the love of Christ, chill out and relax. I will be there in a half hour."

**

Back in Charming, Opie arrived home to find his house in a disarray of boxes with Donna in the middle, packing shit up. He tossed an envelope fat with cash onto the dining room table. "This should cover the mortgage… put a dent in some of the bills."

Donna continued packing and didn't say a word. Opie looked around, "Where are the kids?"

"Next door, Nina is watchin' them."

Opie looked around some more and motioned to her packing. "So I don't get a say in any of this?"

"I didn't get a say in _that_ decision." Donna replied and nodded towards the envelope. "Did I?" She threw a stuffed bear into a box. "You know maybe that ATF bitch was right; maybe SAMCRO is tearing my family apart."

Opie was at a loss for words and just replied, "I'm sorry."

Donna waved off the apology, _too little too late_ in her mind, "I'm movin' in with my mom; gonna find a place near her for me and the kids."

"Donna." Opie stepped to her, grabbing her arms to stop her from packing. She struggled away and he let her go. "Donna, why did you stay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, when I was inside. Why the hell didn't you get out five years ago?"

"The kids...the kids were just babies and it..."

"Don't hang this on the kids. You knew I was gonna go back to SAMCRO. What the hell else was I gonna do?" He looked around. "I am not your _brother_ … I'm not your _dad._ I can't be a good 'ol boy, chuckin' wood from 6 to 6. I earn with the club… _**that**_'s how I support this family. I'm doing this BECAUSE of you, because I love you and the kids." He looked her right in the eyes and said, "If you can't get behind that… keep packin'. I'm gonna go see my kids." He turned and walked out of the house. A sob escaped Donna's throat as she stared after him.

**

Jaci walked across the parking lot and spotted the quartet waiting outside the store. Chibs, Juice and Half-Sack were all smooshed onto the quarter kiddie carrousel. The thing was barely turning under their combined weights. Vix was leaning up against the wall surrounded by a menagerie of bags and boxes.

When Vix spotted her sister she hollered, "Longest half-hour in history, man."

Jaci smiled with a shrug. "I had trouble getting out of work and the traffic was lovely as always. How's it goin'?"

Vix glanced at the trio on the carousel. "I feel like I'm babysitting but I'm not getting paid."

"I know the feeling." Jaci replied with a laugh. "So how'd ya do?"

"Got a hundred-fifty bucks left; not sure what else to get." Vix shrugged and handed her the receipt which Jaci scrutinized.

"I'll run back in with you." Jaci gave a stern look to the guys. "You three stay here and behave yourselves." A trio of yuppie-ish women walked out of the store, eyeing her suspiciously just as she spoke to the guys. Jaci knew she must look out of place, all dressed in office attire and talking to Vix and the boys. She sighed at the women's pre-conceived notions. She looked at the women in mock seriousness and said, "Being a probation officer is SUCH a thankless job. I really don't even know why I bother."

The women nod gravely at her and then walked away. The crew held it together until the women were out of earshot and then busted out laughing.

Jaci paused half-way into the store. "Hey Vix, go on ahead, I'll be there in one second." She turned around and ran back out to the boys on the carousel. She pointed her finger and hissed, "Ok, whose bright idea was it to bring up the hospital-drama-pregnancy-scare bullshit?"

Juice and Chibs both pointed toward Half-Sack, who sorta half-raised his hand. Jaci smacked him upside the head. "Ouch." Half-Sack protested. "What about Chibs?"

Chibs scoffed, "I just hinted at her being fat." Jaci shook her head and smacked Chibs upside his head. "Oh damnit." He yelled and laughed, "Police brutality!"

As Jaci started to walk back into the store she turned and smacked Juice too. "Hey, what's that for?" Juice yelled.

"You probably deserve it for something." She replied and then disappeared inside the store.

"I hate this fucking store. We need to hurry it up and get the hell outta here." Vix said.

Jaci smiled. "Ok, I just have to grab a gift from me. And I am thinking a stroller will spend the rest of that money for you."

"Sounds great, let's hit it." Vix tugged Jaci in the direction of the strollers. "So are you buyin' Tig's gift too?"

Jaci cleared her throat and frowned. "Um, I don't think we are to the tandem gift buying stage...or will be..._ever_. Surely he kicked into the pot you're spendin'. If not, then it's probably just par for the course with him."

Vix nodded and they made it to the stroller aisle and started browsing. "I don't like that one. It seems cheesy. How about the third one over? It comes in blue and black, too; could see a lil' Reaper logo slapped on that sucker."

"That would be precious." Jaci noticed the raised eye brows on the couple shopping near them and smirked.

Vix grabbed an item ticket and followed Jaci. "So how are things with you and Tigger?"

"God I wish you wouldn't call him that." Jaci replied. "Things are good, just haven't seen him much. I've been working too many hours and stuff. I'm so ready for things to get back to normal."

"_Normal_ for us is pretty crazy, sis."

"I know. I just could do without hospitals or ATF agents or Nords for that matter. Take all of THAT out of the life equation and I'll be happy with whatever is left." Jaci replied.

Vix nodded, "True dat." The girls paid for their items and headed out of the store.

Vix smiled when she saw Half-Sack had thought enough to go retrieve the van from Timbuktu. He and the guys had all the purchases loaded up and were waiting for the sisters. "Just when I thought there was no hope of y'all being chivalrous."

Half-Sack laughed, "Please, we did this to avoid a loitering fine. If that rent-a-cop came back we were gonna drive away and then circle back around."

The Parker sisters looked at each other and cracked up. Jaci shook her head. "I am headed back to work. Catch ya'll later."

Vix started getting into the van but stopped and yelled at her sister. "Ooh, hey! What's for dinner tonight?"

Jaci turned and frowned. "I'm busting my ass all day at work AND have to cook when I get home?! This _marriage_ sucks! Why don't YOU cook dinner?"

"You don't really mean that." Vix replied with a laugh. She quickly pulled a big smirk and a mock sad face, "Beside…I'm an invalid."

"Make you THINK invalid." Jaci mumbled. "Oh hell, just buy something. I'll cook it."

Juice smiled and invited himself to dinner. "Oooh, I am thinkin' that Chinese stuff, the one from the commercial where the panda bear dances around the living room."

Vix nodded. "Sweet! Let's roll boys!"

Chibs hung out the window and grinned and yelled, "See ya, Parker!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 3- The Essence of **_**Normal**_

**By BG and Reaper**

*Be advised we took some small liberties with the timeline here. A few details are out of order when compared to the show but since it's been so long since season 1 aired, we doubt you'll notice!

Mornings at _**Griffin's Bakery**_ got very hectic, very early. _The Donut Shop_, as the locals called it, was in a state of organized bedlam as people headed to work and school crowded inside to grab breakfast.

This morning was no exception as Tig and Chibs walked into the bakery at 7am. Tig wasn't much of a morning person. Under normal circumstances, he slept in as long as possible and roared into the Teller Morrow parking lot at 7:55am, just scooting in before the garage officially opened at 8am. He was in fine form today since being woke up early by a call from Chibs, telling him to meet at the bakery to grab breakfast for the crew. Tig had tried convincing Chibs that the Prospect should be making crack of dawn breakfast runs when Bobby couldn't do it but the Scotsman had wanted to check out the parade of hot moms dragging their kids to school for himself. He needed a wingman so he called Tig.

Tig stood scowling at everyone that had turned around to stare at them as they walked in the door. Like the town itself, the donut shop's patrons were split about 50/50 on their support of the Sons; some people were smiling and nodding hello, others were shooting looks of distain. He glared at Chibs, "Do you even know what the hell we are supposed to get?"

Chibs shrugged. "Bobby said to just tell the girl at the counter to give us the regular. That sounds sorta sexual." He smiled and waggled his eyebrows at a good looking lady and her daughter as they left the bakery. Tig rolled his eyes and sighed. It was too damn early in the morning to be thinking about a piece of ass. They took their place at the end of a very long line.

About halfway up the line, still unnoticed by the two Sons, stood Jaci. She had her cell phone to her ear, already talking business on her way to work. "No that hearing is today. I know, I already told him that. No that's the best interest rate I could get for him, he's going to have to deal with it."

Tig perused the crowded bakery, silently cursing Chibs for dragging him into this morning's mess. A group of old men were bullshitting at one table, while parents and kids occupied most of the other tables. Some of the younger brats were crying and screaming, he sort of felt like joining them in the whining. He was glaring at a tantrum-throwing two year old when he heard Jaci talking. His head whipped around at the sound of her voice. He moved his head left and right trying to see around the crowd in front of them and finally spotted her standing in line. He slapped Chibs's chest with the back of his hand and nodded toward the front of the line.

Chibs smiled as he spotted Jaci as well. "Ha. Well look at that. How horrible is this morning now? You're welcome, asshole." Chibs sighed. "Coulda been better though, she's just wearing a pants suit today. But yesterday, you shoulda seen her, business suit with a short skirt, hose, heels ... Holy Mary... I was having a Van Halen moment."

"Van Halen moment? What?" Tig looked at him, confused for a moment and then the song reference clicked and he glared. "She's an Accountant _**not**_ a teacher, asshole."

Chibs shrugged, "But still all the key components were there ...hot chick, position of authority, skirt, and her hair was up."

Tig let his mind drift for a moment, pulling together the mental picture and enjoying it, but then frowned at Chibs who was smiling at him. "Stop talking, man. Seriously, Bobby having a friend-crush on her is one thing… but you and your lewd thoughts and your Lucky Charms accent. Step the fuck off."

Chibs laughed, "You forgot to mention my ruggedly good looks."

"NO, I didn't." Tig replied with a laugh. He glanced in Jaci's direction again and frowned quickly as he spotted Moby standing next to her. He thought the kid might just be saying hi but he didn't see Lowell or Moby's grandma anywhere in the shop. He watched as Jaci leaned over and said something to the kid and the boy headed to the drink cooler at the right side of the bakery. He came back carrying a carton of chocolate milk. _Very odd._

Chibs caught the kid's eye and waved. He smiled and called out, "Hey Moby, you buyin' our breakfast?"

Moby grinned and shook his head. Jaci had instantly recognized the accent and turned around to nod _hello _while still talking on the phone. She smiled at Chibs, who waggled his fingers in a wave. Tig leaned to his right, causing Chibs to step aside and allowed him to come into Jaci's view; her smile grew instantly. Tig didn't smile, just raised an eyebrow.

Chibs moved his attention back to the kid. "Hey, Moby…come here." He watched as the kid looked up to Jaci and waited for her to nod her approval. Tig watched this little permission exchange unfold and wondered exactly what was going on with Jaci and the kid of Teller Morrow's resident junkie and why he hadn't heard anything about it from her yet.

Moby walked back to where the guys stood and looked up at them expectantly. His dad always spoke of the Sons as his friends so Moby held no fear of them. Clay even played _shoot out_ with him when he was at the garage sometimes so the Sons were ok in Moby's book.

Chibs bent down slightly and asked the obvious question before Tig had a chance to, which was probably for the best since Chibs worded it a lot nicer than Tig would have. "Ok, lil' mack daddy. Why you get to hang out with such a pretty girl? She your girlfriend?"

"No." The little boy smiled and ducked his head shyly. "J just takes me to school sometimes."

"Is that right?" Tig replied, noticing that Moby referred to Jaci as _J_, which was reserved for only family and close friends. He mused for a second as to why he didn't call her that himself but concluded it was probably for the same reason she didn't try to call him Alex…it just wasn't right for them. They stayed formal with _Tig _and _Jaci_, nothing cute or chummy, safe in the illusion of being at arm's length with each other.

Moby nodded happily at Tig. "Vix does too but she's not feeling too good right now so she can't. J _always_ brings me by here. I get to pick anything I want." The boy frowned and thought for a second. "Well, no sprinkles…I can't have sprinkles if we're eating in the car. But this one time … she let me have TWO chocolate milks."

"Wow!" Chibs chimed in with a grin, playing up the kid's obvious enthusiasm. Life was simple and joy came easy when you were five years old.

"You think she'd buy me two milks?" Tig couldn't help but smile too.

He shrugged. "Maybe, but you gotta promise to drink 'em all. You can't be wasteful."

Both men stole a quick glance at each other and choked back a smile. They instead nodded gravely in agreement with the kid.

Tig couldn't resist ribbing Moby about his hair that morning. The kid was sporting a messy but pretty cool Mohawk. "Jaci do your hair for ya this morning too?"

Moby grinned and patted the gelled spikes of his hair gently with the palm of his hand. "Yeah. Vix does a better job but don't tell J that."

Again both guys nodded solemnly in agreement with the boy. Chibs even made a zipping gesture across his lips. Moby giggled, thinking he really had a big secret with the guys.

Jaci was finally one person away from the front of the line and glanced back to watch the guys teasing Moby. She hated to break up the little party but she had learned from experience that the other people in line would get pissy if you took too long at the donut counter. She snapped her fingers and whispered loudly, "Moby...come on dude!"

Moby nodded at Jaci and then waved to the guys. "I gotta go." He took a step toward the front of the bakery and said very seriously explained, "We're on a tight schedule." Tig and Chibs both bust out laughing at the kid's obvious use of Jaci's words.

Tig watched as Moby excitedly relayed his conversation with the guys to Jaci. She was smiling and nodding and faking excitement just as they had done with the kid. She leaned over and said something to Moby and they slapped a low five then the kid was running for the drink cooler again. _Must be a two milk day_ Tig thought with a smile. It probably did the kid a world of good to be around the Parker sisters if only for the mornings. Too bad the kid had been born to such a shit father. If Jaci had been his mom, Moby would probably grow up to be a perfect damn kid.

Chibs watched Tig watching Jaci and Moby and nudged him. When Tig looked over at him, he gave a grin and cocked any eyebrow. "Cute together aren't they? She's gonna make a hell of a good mum someday."

"Shut up." Tig replied and stared at his boots. _Yeah, she's gonna be a great mom…to another guy's kid._ That realization stung him a bit more than he expected.

A moment later, Jaci and Moby walked past carrying their breakfasts. She walked with her hand on the kid's back. Moby slowed for a half second and handed Tig a white bakery bag, grinning from ear to ear. Tig glanced questioningly at Jaci. She just played coy and gave him a smile that shined all the way to her eyes. He watched the pair walk outside. He would remember that smile for the rest of his life.

"What's in the bag?" Chibs asked.

Tig unrolled the sack and laughed slightly as he stared down at two chocolate milk cartons.

**

Across town that day, Vix was home alone and glad for the solitude. She was totally free but bored out of her mind… what to do? After likely over doing it baby gift shopping yesterday, she was under strict orders to _chill and relax_.

To make sure her sister listened, Jaci had taken all sets of keys to everything Vix could possibly conceive of driving, including the keys to the riding lawn mower; memories of a resourceful Vix and an unfortunate John Deere tractor were not easily forgotten.

Juice, not putting it past the-love-of-his-life to hotwire a vehicle if she became desperate enough, had taken it upon himself to remove the spark plugs from her car before he headed to the TM shop for the day.

After two hours of Trading Spaces and five trips through the cable channel rotation, Vix announced to the empty house that there was not a god damn thing on all 315 channels. She looked through the DVD collection that Jaci had broken down into genre and then arranged in alphabetical order. She completely skipped the comedy section, given that a sneeze still felt like a wrecking ball hit her body, Vix was trigger shy at the thought of laughing fits. Having had it up to her eyeballs with other people's drama, she skipped that section and found her attention focused on good ol' horror. She selected a disc, put it in the player and headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass of iced tea and some lunch, went back into the living room, pushed play and got completely absorbed in Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler being terrorized by three unknown home invaders.

_**What you are about to see is inspired by true events. According to the FBI, there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year. On the night of February 11, 2005, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt left a friend's wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family's summer home. The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known. **_

Half way thru the movie she heard a noise.

Vix glanced around; the door was locked, the shades and curtains were all drawn since her pain medicine made her light sensitive. Vix shook her head, _silly imagination_. She finished her TV dinner and sat the plate on the coffee table as she continued watching the movie.

Suddenly she heard more sounds coming from the back deck. Pressing mute on the TV and staring hard in the direction of the kitchen, she grabbed up her cell phone thinking_, I could call 911 and the cops would probably get here before they kill me... PROBABLY! _... _- or they could show up and discover it is only one of the neighbor's cats, or worse my imagination… and I'd never live down that humiliation, not in Charming. Any way you cut it, it sucks to be me!_ She sat her phone back on the coffee table and then she heard a loud **CRACK!**

Vix jumped off the couch so fast she momentarily forgot about her recent surgery and paid for that forgetfulness moments later when a searing pain caused her to wince in agony and curse loudly under her breath. The noise had sounded like a twig snapping under someone's foot … or a revolver cocking.

_Revolver?_ She hissed at herself. _It was a damn twig. Under foot? Fuck!!!_

Vix snatched up her phone and quickly headed over to the hall closet, grabbing the first weapon she could find- an aluminum baseball bat. She headed for the kitchen, glancing left and right, finding the room empty. But her sigh of relief gets caught in her throat as the distinct outline of a body could be seen through the shade of the sliding glass door. Hauling the bat to her shoulder, she tip toed towards the door. She pulled the string of the shade and looked out the door.

"Vix is that you?"

Vix screamed long and hard, releasing the pent up terror that had been lurking in her chest. She pushed open the door and threw the bat at Wendy, who ducked as it whizzed by her head.

"Vix?" Wendy glanced uneasily over her shoulder at the bat laying on the lawn.. "I'm sorry... did I scare you?"

"Did you? ... Did you... scare me? NO! Wendy you freaked the living shit outta me!" Looking at her eldest sister questioningly, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at rehab? Did you sign yourself out again?"

"No. I'm going to a sober living place but I can't get in for a few days. I had a cab drop me at Jax's but Queen Gemma had the locks changed. I was glad to see my car still in the driveway. I am supposed to stay away from the old crowd so ..."

Vix smirked. "So you thought you'd look up Jaci and I. So nice of you cause when we first got here, we were the last people you wanted to see and you drove that point home pretty damn hard."

Wendy nodded. "Yeah, I know... and I am sorry, I was, well I am just sorry. Ok? So can we let bygones be bygones...and sleeping dogs do their thing, hmm?"

"I get it... apologizing... it's one of your 12-steps." Vix looked her sister over, she did appear sober. "How'd you know where we moved? And what the hell are you doing at the back door? Ever heard of a front door?"

"I did go to the front door. I think the doorbell is broken, I knocked but .... anyway. I stopped by the old rental place and that old bat of a landlady gave me the new address. Plus Jaci mentioned buying a house in one of her phone calls while you were sick... speaking of, how'ya feelin'?"

Vix nodded, "I was ok until your little stunt. I think I pulled something. Luckily I go to the doctors today." Vix smiled. "And you if you give me a ride to and fro, I won't have you arrested for trespassing on private property."

Wendy stared at her youngest sister, "You're kidding, right?"

Vix shook her head, "Not at all. I seem to recall an incident when you called the po-po on me for being in your bedroom."

"Right, when was that?"

Vix turned around and looked at her eldest sister, "When I was 8. Shut the door behind you. The neighbor's cat keeps wandering in."

**

Tig walked into the club house where some of the guys were hanging out after working hard all day. He grabbed a beer and sat down, looking over at Juice who's fingers were flyin' about his phone's keyboard at lightening speed. "Hey retard, wouldn't it be easier just to call the person? Who wants to read all that shit?"

Chibs laughed. "Ah, never mind Tig. He just don't like textin' because he can't spell wortha shite."

Tig smiled at him. "F. U.. C. K. Y. O. U.... asshole. I can spell what is important."

"I am with Tig this time. I don't have time for that text shit. It's a step backwards if you ask me. The goddamned phone _replaced_ the telegraph." Piney commented from his perch on the couch.

Tig nodded and threw a thumb in the old man's direction. "And Piney would know, he was there to witness the end of that era." He let out a laugh and took a draw off from his bottle of beer.

"Fuck you, Tig." Piney announced.

"Not really my type old man but I've been known to bend a rule here and there." Tig countered with a smirk.

Juice looked up at the guys and was sort of anxious. "I'm textin' Vix. I haven't heard from her all day, well not since she text me that I didn't have to leave work early cause her sister was takin' her to the doctor's. Been wondering what they had to say but she isn't replying. Sorta gettin' worried, it's been hours since her appointment."

"You could always go with the theory of _no news is good news._" Bobby offered.

Chibs smiled as he leaned on his pool cue. "Yeah, either that or she not answerin' cause…"

"Chibs,I really can't deal with a Worst Case Scenario montage right now." Juice pleaded.

Half Sack came from one of the back rooms and headed toward the front door wearing a backpack. He threw up a hand to wave at Chibs. "Be back in an hour, guys." He hoped the guys would just nod and not ask any questions. He made it two steps before that hope was dashed.

"The fuck are you going?" Chibs called.

Half Sack sighed as he turned around. "Going to the gym; work out with Jaci."

Tig raised his eyebrows at this statement. Chibs frowned. "Why don't you just have her come here? We've got our own fucking boxing ring! Why would she pay to work out someplace?"

"Ummm, there's like no way she'd train in front of you guys. I already asked." Half Sack answered.

Tig let out a snort. "There's your problem, dumbass, you _asked _her. What you do is just _tell_ her to get her ass over here."

"Yeah, Tig, you call and tell her that. I got five dollars she tells you to _fuck off_." Piney said with a laugh.

"I'll take that action." Chibs said with a grin.

"Hey, tell Jaci to call me!" Juice hollered as Half Sack eased toward the door again.

The Prospect nodded and then glanced at Tig, "So am I going or staying?"

"Get the fuck out of here." Tig snapped but without any aggression in his voice. He walked out of the clubhouse behind the kid and lit a cigarette. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jaci's number.

"Hello?" Jaci answered.

"What are you doing?"

"Mmm, why do I get the impression you already know the answer to that?"

Tig laughed. "Cause I do. I just gave the Prospect hell; he's on his way over to you. Why don't you just come over here and work out?"

"Right, I'll do that on the very same day that I get a ride on the back of your bike, which I believe will be about three days before _**never**_." Jaci quipped.

"Ha ha, smartass. Miracles happen every day… it could happen."

"Not with the ATF up our asses, so I won't hold my breath." Jaci shot back. She was standing in the boxing room at the gym, wrapping her hands as she spoke to him. "So what are you up to, other than belittling Kipp?"

"Just fucking off after work; drinking beer, shooting pool. And listening Juice bitch about your sister not texting him back. Goddamn! You need to call her ass and tell her to pay that boy some damn attention before I'm forced to tape his mouth shut." Tig thought for a second. "I might wrap a whole damn roll of it around his head and I can't promise to leave an air hole." Tig paused for a second. "That really wouldn't stop the texting shit though... that would require finger removal." Tig seemed to go quiet with contemplation.

Jaci frowned. "She's probably taking a nap or something. I'll call her in a minute sooo… let's just bring those thoughts back down to a say misdemeanor level and hold off on the homicidal tendencies for now. Hmmm?"

"I'll try, but probably not too hard." Tig laughed. He flicked some ashes to the ground. "What are you doing tonight?" He paced around in front of the clubhouse as he talked. Piney was watching him with amusement from the window.

"Mmm, I don't know; nothing probably."

Tig frowned. "Wrong answer. Try again. What are you _doing_ tonight?"

"Oh! What am I _doing_?" Jaci thought for a second and then smiled. "You?"

"Exactly."

"I'll be here with Kipp for an hour or so. I'll run home, grab a shower and then give you a call. Your place or mine?"

Tig stared at the sky trying to remember if his house was in any condition for visitors. "Uh, hell I don't know. We'll figure it out later."

"Ok. Have fun fucking off." Jaci said with a smile in her voice.

"You know it." Tig replied and ended the call.

Tig walked back into the clubhouse just as Juice's cell phone started vibrating and playing the chorus to Buckcherry's _Crazy Bitch. _Juice flipped the phone open and said, "Hey baby. I've been texting you for like three hours."

Bobby chuckled. "Was there ever a more appropriate ring tone?"

**

Jaci pulled into her drive way, seeing a slightly familiar car parked there. She groaned at the thought of company. It had been a hellishly long day starting with Moby's early morning drop off, then a day spent trying to explain the principles of accounting to people whom she knew had never even bothered to balance their checkbooks. The ring time with Kipp had been a stress release but now all she wanted was a bottle of wine and a bubble bath and some then alone time with Tig. As she passed the car she laughed out loud at the bumper sticker, _**I AM A BITCH, JUST NOT YOURS**_. She walked two steps and it dawned on her where she knew the car from. She suppressed a groan, praying that she was wrong. She walked into the house and found Vix, Wendy, and Moby in the living room. Moby and Wendy were playing Rockband and Wendy was singing Bon Jovi's _It's My Life_ at the top of her lungs. Highly amused and more than a little pissed off, Jaci motioned wildly to Vix, who came out into the kitchen.

"Wendy?? What the fuck is she doing here?" Jaci hissed.

Vix smiled, "She just showed up today."

Jaci peered into the living room at her sister singing, jumping up and down in front of the TV absorbed in her performance… _It's my life… it's now or never... I ain't gonna live forever. _"Rockband? Is she drunk or high?"

Vix shook her head. "Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact."

Jaci stared at Vix. "Thank you _Elton._" Glancing towards the living room, she asked, "So what's up with the Bon Jovi?"

"You know she's always had a thing for Jersey boys." Vix laughed. "I'm surprised she didn't move there and hook up with some mob dude."

Jaci rolled her eyes. "Yeah right... with her track record, she would of gotten whacked by now." Both sisters looked at Wendy. Jaci sighed. "Ok and I'll take_** People I didn't expect to see at my house tonight **_for $800, Alex."

"Moby?" Vix shrugged. "No one picked him up from school, so he called me... said he got your voice mail but was too scared to leave a message. That little dude is so confused. Not that I blame him really, sorta reminds me of the crap Mama used to pull on us."

"Lowell was back to work today. He's supposed to be figuring this stuff out now! Damnit!" Jaci peered into the living room with her hands on her hips and then looked at Vix. "Juice take you to get Moby after your doctor's appointment today?"

"Nope, I made Wendy chauffer me around, to the doctor's and then to pick up the kid."

Jaci shut her eyes in frustration for a moment and rubbed her forehead. "You used a _junkie_ to pick up a _junkie's_ kid...holy fuck."

Vix giggled despite herself. "The irony of that did dawn on me, after the fact of course. And technically aren't they both supposed to be RE-COVERING junkies?"

Jaci groaned. "Ok...I'm going to grab a shower and then take Moby where ever he is supposed to be tonight. Then I guess we will either have sisterly reconnection time or a knock down drag out." She took a deep breath and headed into the living room..."Hey Wendy...how you doing?"

**

Thirty minutes later, Jaci pulled her mustang to a stop in front of a line of dingy row houses. She glanced in the rearview at Moby sitting quietly in the backseat, fiddling with his backpack. She hated like hell to think that she was adding to the little guy's sense of not being wanted anywhere, but damnit it really was time for Lowell to man-up. Like Tig kept bitching to her, she couldn't do everything for everybody. She sighed. "Hey Moby, I'm gonna go make sure your dad is home, stay here while I go check, ok?"

Moby nodded and Jaci climbed out of the car. She walked up to the door of the third to the last house and rang the bell. It didn't appear to be working; sadly, that did not surprise her. She pulled her hand inside the sleeve of her hoodie and pounded on the door. "LOWELL!?!?" POUND POUND POUND "LOWELL?!?! It's Jaci Parker, if you're here open up." She hit the door two more times and was about to pound another time when the door opened to reveal Lowell standing there.

"Hey, Jaci." He said looking confused but not the least bit worried to see her standing at his doorstep. "What's up?"

"_What's up_?" Jaci repeated. She could feel her blood pressure rise along with the urge slap him upside the head. She motioned towards her car, "Forget something today?"

Lowell stared passed her and squinted in the evening light. Jaci gave up on him guessing. "Moby is in the car. DUDE...not cool! How could you forget to pick him up on your first day back on Dad duty?! It's after 6pm and you haven't even called to see where he was!!"

"I didn't forget him...I thought you were picking him up." Lowell replied softly.

Jaci wanted to shake him. "NO! Lowell...I specifically said this morning that I would TAKE him to school and then you could PICK HIM UP."

"Oh shit. I must have got confused. Oh…I'm so sorry." Lowell pulled at his hair and looked he was going to cry. "Did he freak out? Shit, I'm fucking this up already!! Please don't tell Clay about this, Jaci. Please!! I am soo sorry, man."

"Don't apologize to me...Moby's the one that was upset. You have to pull your shit together." Jaci said, really wanting to scream and yell at the guy but he was obviously remorseful and upset. And his quick mention of Clay made her think that consequences of backsliding had already been discussed with serious, probably permanent repercussions. Jaci held out a hand. "Ok, so maybe you got confused today...but you can't do that again. You're 100% responsible for Moby again now, ok? That said, anytime and I do mean ANYTIME you need us to help, you call me or Vix. We will absolutely be there for Moby, but we can't be getting our wires crossed like this again. And don't worry...I'm not telling Clay about this. It was a simple misunderstanding...no need to get the big dogs involved."

"Ok, ok." Lowell grabbed her in a fierce hug. "Thank you so much!"

Jaci was stunned by the gesture and peeled him off of her. "No problem. Try to be good, Lowell. _Please_...for Moby's sake."

"I will, I will."

Jaci turned and saw Moby watching them from the car. She waved her hand toward him. He clambered out of the backseat, over to the front seat and out the passenger side door. He ran up the walk and right past Jaci to his dad, yelling, "See ya, J!" over his shoulder.

**

As she navigated the streets back to her house, she pulled out her cell and dialed. He answered on the fourth ring. "Hey...I'm going to have to take a rain check on tonight."

"'the hell for?' Tig barked into the phone. She could hear music blaring in the background. Tig turned his face away from the phone, yelling at Chibs _"Hey goddamnit...it's my fucking turn...you didn't call that shot."_ Chibs muttered something back that Jaci couldn't hear and Tig grumbled back to him, _'I can't shoot and hold the phone, asshole, wait just a goddamn minute_." Turning his attention back to Jaci he asked, "Now WHY are you bailing on me?"

She sighed. "Seems my wayward junkie sister has found her way to my doorstep."

"No shit?"

'"Yeah, she was hanging out with Vix when I got home; looks like family bonding time is in my future tonight." She paused for a moment and teased. "Unless you want to come over? You could hang out with me."

Tig let out a laugh. "FUCK NO!"

"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure? Three chicks and just you; that should be right up your alley."

He smirked as he leaned his pool cue against the wall in order to grab his bottle of beer. "Been there, done that...it's overrated. Besides, I'm not really into the sister thing; I'm a freak...not suicidal. You crazy bitches would kill me."

As she pulled into her driveway, seeing her sister's car again sparked a thought, "Is it wrong to drink large amounts of alcohol in front of a recovering addict?"

Tig shrugged while taking a drink himself. "Fuck it...you're not the one with the problem."

Jaci smiled. "Great advice. I'll call you later. Sorry."

Tig hung up and Chibs nodded towards him, "You gotta be goin'? Got a hot date?" He asked as he waggled his eyebrows.

Tig leaned over the table and sunk the 4 ball in the side pocket with a little more force that was necessary. He glared at Chibs. "Shut the fuck up and take your shot." Tig downed the remainder of his beer, clearly irritated.

Juice was sitting at the bar with his laptop in front of him. Jax eased up along side of him, "Hey, you ever get ahold of Vix? Gemma wants help decorating for Abel's coming home bash."

"Yeah and I'm sure she'll help out. Doc still has her on rest and relaxation for the next week but she tends to do the direct opposite of medical advice. I'll text her. Her and J are havin' dinner Wendy so I am steering clear of Parker Place until I know all chances of getting caught in the cross hairs are gone."

Jax jerked back a bit in shock. "Wendy is back in town?"

"Hell yes." Tig hollered from the pool table. "Your ex-wife totally cock blocked me! Why do you think I am hanging here instead of getting some?"

Jax shook his head and laughed. "Sorry bro."

Juice nodded. "Yeah, umm, apparently this is a pit stop on her way to a sober living community. She'll probably be looking for you next. Might have started with the sisters first, you know…working her way up the apology ladder?" Jax nodded and headed back to his dorm room.

Gemma walked in to find Clay laughing with the other guys. "I'm glad I found you in a good mood." She handed him a stack of papers. "For Jax's house, just some remodeling and shit... for the baby."

Clay glanced down at the top bill. "Twenty-three HUNDRED dollars... FOR PAINTING? I coulda had the Prospect do it for FREE."

"The baby is coming home any day and I want that house to be perfect."

"Ok, ok,ok" Clay surrendered, knowing it was pointless to argue.

Gemma gave him a kiss, "That is why I love you so much."

Juice took a pull off his beer bottle and just happened to glance up at the surveillance video screens in time to see The Feds busting down the door. "CLAY.... COPS!!" He yelled as he slammed his laptop shut.

Suddenly the club house was a hotbed of activity. Federal Agents with their weapons drawn were demanding "EVERYBODY DOWN!" and knocking the crew members to the ground. Jax ran up the hall in time to see one agent forcing Gemma to the floor.

Clay roared, "Get off her! Hey, hey…watch it!"

Two of the agents approached Bobby. One said, "Robert Munson…you're under arrest for the murder of Brenan Hefner."

"Who?" Bobby asked while being cuffed and Miranda-ized and led out of the clubhouse.

Clay yelled from where he prone position on the floor. "I'll call Rosen, Bobby... just sit tight."

Agent Stahl kick growled and then kicked Clay. Gemma screamed "Hey, BITCH!" and spat at the agent, which earned her a kick in the ribs from the agent.

Stahl chided Gemma. "Manners Darling, manners."

Tig laid his forehead on the floor, silently thankful that his booty call with Jaci had been disrupted. He had been thinking about just having her drop by the clubhouse tonight which would have meant she would have been lying on the floor right next to him. Stahl would have had a field day with that.

***

"Tonight was so odd." Vix said as she handed Jaci the last dish to place in the dishwasher. "I mean, Wendy was like reminiscing about a childhood that never existed, well at least not one that I took part in."

Jaci nodded. "Her recollection was a bit Walton-esque. I don't know, those rehab places have you reflect a lot."

"I know but aren't you supposed to reflect on YOUR life." A Harley could be heard approaching the house. Vix sighed, "That would be Juice."

Jaci glanced at her sister. "Don't sound so enthusiastic. Everything alright with the two of you?"

"Mmm hmm. You know just the stress of everything; we need some down time so we can reconnect you know… shit's been non-stop for weeks now. AND no sex…that's got us both cranky."

The door from the garage to the kitchen opened and Juice walked thru. He nodded to the girls and glanced around. "Wendy gone?"

Vix nodded. "Mmmm hmmm. She didn't want to stay with us."

Jaci sighed as she hit the start button on the dishwasher. "It's been a hella-long day. I am gonna polish off this bottle of wine out back by the firepit."

"Ah, um… you may want to … shit, ok. I am not exactly the bearer of good tidings." Juice said with a grimace.

Vix closed her eyes and shook her head, "What the hell now?"

Juice did not beat around the bush. "AFT had a little mini raid on the clubhouse tonight. Bobby got arrested."

"For what?!" Jaci asked, her eyes wide.

"Murder."

"Murder?! Of who?" Jaci pressed and saw Juice's eyes narrow. She could tell he did not want to answer that question and instead quickly gave the vaguest recounting of the night's events as humanly possible.

At the end of his rundown, Vix just shook her head and with a sarcastic smile looked at her sister. "So much for that _**normal**_ life, right Jaci?" She waved her hand and walked out of the kitchen.

Juice stared after her for a few seconds and then glanced at Jaci. "Am I supposed to know what that was about?"

"Stress fracture?" Jaci replied with a shrug. Juice seemed to contemplate that for a second or two before being distracted by a battery of questions from Jaci. As her shock wore off the analytical side of her brain kicked in and she wanted to know how to help Bobby. Juice wouldn't give her any details. She finally gave up. "Oh hell, never mind. It's not like you can tell me anything anyway. Right?" She ran her hands over her face. "You said Clay was gonna call Rosen?"

Juice nodded. "I think he already did."

Jaci nodded back. "Well then…he'll squash it like always, right?"

"Yeah totally." Juice replied and nodded, faking an enthusiasm he didn't truly feel.

"How's Tig?"

"Same as everyone body else…pissed off but ok." Juice grimaced. "I wouldn't try calling him tonight…you'll get some misplaced aggression for sure."

Jaci smiled, knowing that statement was exactly true. "Ok, well unless you have any other bad news up your sleeve, I am going to go polish off this bottle and perhaps the other one…" She watched Juice nod and look in the direction of the living room, "Look, can I offer up a bit of advice regarding my sister?" After he nodded, she continued, "She's had a hell of a time lately, we all have and it looks like the fun isn't over yet. Under that hard ass exterior is really just a girl that needs and wants your love but she won't _tell _you that." She clapped Juice on the shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen. "Just love her bro. Go reconnect."


	4. Chapter 4

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 4- Living' in a Powder-keg****(and givin' off sparks)**

**By BG and Reaper**

**DISCLAIMER**: **2nd verse same as the 1st** - although we are basing this fiction on the timeline of Season 1 sometimes events may appear out of order, it is after all a work of FICTION based on a work of FICTON... hey, wait...since 2 WRONGS don't make a RIGHT - but 2 LEFTS do... does that mean two works of FICTION make a work of NON-FICTION???

**

Jaci tossed and turned for most of the night, trying to think of ways to help Bobby and the club. She had no idea of the circumstances surrounding the murder but judging by Juice's reactions, she was pretty sure Bobby was guilty. That thought did not unsettle her, she was sure he had his reasons for doing what he had done. Bobby was in Rosen's hands now and that was the best place for him. She rolled over onto her stomach and her thoughts shifted to the other members of the club and what they were probably thinking at the time. A member getting pinched was always a stressful time for everyone involved. That was when an idea clicked in her head. When members stressed, their families stressed and there was one family in particular that was nearing volcano status as it was…the Winstons. Jaci couldn't do much for Bobby, but maybe she could relieve some stress for them. She stared at the alarm clock, 2:30am. She finally dozed off after the plan was set in her head but she was awake again at 4:30am. She made herself stay in bed until 5am and then finally said_ fuck it_ and headed to the office.

******

Vix shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer to the warmth of Juice's body when she felt him toss and turn for seemingly the nineteenth hundredth time that night. He finally gave up on sleep and sat up on the side of the bed. Vix opened her eyes and looked at his back, she knew the troubles of the club were weighing on him and wished she could help, wished he'd _let_ her help. The night before they had had a small discussion and nothing more and both went to bed frustrated and emotionally drained. The fact that he had even stayed the night with her surprised her.

All night long Juice had been haunted by thoughts of the Fed raid on the clubhouse, of Bobby being brought in, of worries that if that bitch Stahl could make this Hefner thing stick the Feds would have all the ammo they needed to show the club as an ongoing criminal enterprise. Images of the crew at trial and in prison played in his mind over and over. Whenever his brain would focus on Vix, all he could think about was the mess he'd be putting her through and he couldn't bring himself to share the weight of his troubles with her. He didn't thinking for one fraction of a second that she'd ever rat on them, knowing full well she'd perjurer herself right into jail time to protect the club, to protect him. He heaved a deep sigh, at a loss as to how to protect all that he loved.

She yawned and said, "Good morning, baby."

The gruff reply of "Mornin' " was not his typical response. Early morning was among their favorite hook up times. When her head was still fuzzy with sleep and she was not worried about the random dislocation of her hair or the fact that without her hazel-tinted contacts her eyes were in fact two different colors. But now given the doctor's orders as well as the heavy tension hanging in the bedroom air, the hair and the eyes were both moot points.

"You want me to fix you some breakfast?"

"Nah, I am sure there Clay has a ton of shit for me to do today." He said standing up and pulling on his jeans.

"Mm hmm." Vix replied, sitting up and leaning against the head board as she watched him tug his tee shirt over his head and then turn his head side to side trying to relieve the tension build up. "You know Clay is not expecting you this early... and I am sure I could help relieve some of that stress..."

"Vix!" He snapped, "Just listen to the doctors, ok?"

Before she could reply, he strode out of the bedroom. Minutes later she heard the motorized garage door open and his bike roar off. _Fuck you Juice_, she thought to herself as she jerked open the drawer of her nightstand and reached inside, retrieving her _little friend._ She laid back on her pillows with a sigh and flipped the switch on the little plastic egg shaped toy. NOTHING. With a desperate groan she shook it... still NOTHING.

"SHIT!" she exclaimed as she threw the useless thing across the room. Suddenly a small furry head topped by two triangular ears popped up from the bottom of the bed and leapt at the flying toy. _Friggin Juice… let the neighbor's damn cat in. _With an exaggerated huff Vix stomped off to the shower thinking, _well at least one pussy is being entertained this morning._

******

The crew members filed into the Chapel and slumped into their seats. Five pairs of eyes stared at Clay. With a sigh he said, "They got Bobby in Federal Plaza, Stockton. Rosen says ATF got an eye witness saw Bobby kill Hefner."

"What?" Tig questioned. "Jax, is that even possible?"

Jax shook his head. "From my end it was all clear. The shit is a goddamn bluff."

"You can't charge someone on a bluff. Whatever they got is real."

"Who's the bastard witness?" Chibs voiced the question that was in the forefront of everyone's mind.

Clay glanced around the table, "We're one man short. Where is Op?" He glanced at Juice.

"I called every number – no answer… even tried Donna's phone." Juice explained.

"Maybe Donna changed the goddamn home phone." Piney barked in defense of his son.

Jax snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up. "I'll go find him, a'ight?"

Tig shook his head, "You'd better."

"Oh and what's that supposed to mean?" Piney replied hot-headedly.

"Only two other guys were witness to that hit. One's in jail and the other…."

Jax leaned into Tig's personal space. "Don't even say it, asshole."

Tig jumped up, squaring off with Jax. "You better curb your disrespect."

Chibs and Clay broke up the mounting tussle quickly and Clay shook his head. "Look, everyone's nerves are fried, but we can not unravel here. Now Jax is gonna go get Op, bring him in, see what he knows."

Everyone's attention was drawn to Piney as he banged his oxygen tank angrily on the table. "The only reason my son isn't here is cause he don't know what happened."

Jax ran his fingers through his hair and sneered at Tig, "Exactly."

"Go find him." Clay said flatly to Jax.

**

Jaci stared at the computer screen in disbelief. She had run the credit reports three times with the same result. _Shit. This is bad…really really bad. Shit, what have you done bro?_ She picked up her phone and dialed as the reports printed. No answer, she was instructed to leave a message. She ended the call without doing so and began pacing around her office. She made herself wait 10 minutes before calling again; again no answer. _Oh, for the love of God!! _She crammed the reports into a manila envelope and grabbed her car keys. Fuck it; this was a conversation better had in person anyway.

No one answered the door as Jaci knocked and knocked. Squinting through the windows she could see boxes stacked around the house. Not a good sign. Her suspicions were running high. She pulled out her cell again and dialed a number she was hoping to avoid. No answer came on that line either. _Well, motherfucker. Does ANYONE answer their damn phones?! _She stomped to her car and sat nervously tapping her steering wheel. She dialed the number a few more times over the next few minutes. The last time it went straight to voicemail. That move pissed her off; it meant the phone had been turned off in the few minutes she had been waiting to call again. Well, this was too important of news to wait until he felt like turning his phone on again. For the second time that day, she said _fuck it_ and drove to a place she didn't really want to have to visit.

**

Tig walked out of the chapel room, his emotions still at a slow boil thinking of Jax getting up in his face. He wished that punk would just throw a punch one day so they could rumble. Maybe he could knock some arrogance out of the little bastard. He would catch hell from Clay for doing it, but the scolding would be worth taking Jax down a notch or two. He loved the kid, but he was getting to be a cocky little shit.

He rifled through the open cigar box and grabbed his phone, seeing he had missed five calls. He frowned and punched a few buttons, revealing that Jaci had been the one calling but she had not left any messages. Something must have been going on for her to call like that. A little worried, he was just about to hit send to call her back when Clay hollered and motioned him over from the bar. Tig sighed and just held down the power button on the phone instead; first things first…the call back would just have to wait a few more minutes.

******

Jaci's mustang had just turned off the street when Jax turned onto it. They had missed each other by seconds but both were looking for the same thing… Opie.

Jax stopped in front of the Winston house and looked around. Opie's truck was parked in the driveway. A glance into the garage window revealed Donna's car and Opie's bike still inside. He strode up to the front door and knocked and rang the bell. Getting no answer, he bent and retrieved the key from under the doormat. Calling out their names as he opened the door, Jax entered the house to find it empty with packing boxes littering the floor and a business card lying on the counter.

"Shit!" Jax said as he read the card. _Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms JUNE STAHL. _A quick chat with a neighbor revealed that Opie and his family had left their house around 2:30am with what looked to be federal agents. Op hadn't been cuffed and had been in fact carrying one of his kids. Jax just shook his head in disbelief.

******

Jaci's Mustang rolled into the TM parking lot with a growl. She could see Tig and Clay standing outside the office smoking. _Too busy fucking smoking to answer a damn phone call?! _As she killed the engine, Tig walked quickly to her car. She opened her car door and nearly knocked him over. She barely managed to stand up before he blocked her path. He looked pissed and tore into her immediately.

"If I don't answer your goddamn phone call…it's because I'm fucking busy! I don't need you hauling ass into this place to fucking check up on me!" Tig hissed. He pushed roughly at her hip. "Get back in the car and go."

She was stunned by his attitude and slapped his hand away from her. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"A lot of shit is going down with Bobby getting arrested. I'm fucking stressed, that's all you need to know." He pointed at her and took a step backward. "Leave…now."

She had expected Tig to be stressed but his level of blatant hostility surprised her. Hell, _she_ hadn't arrested Bobby! She was very worried about her friend and wanted to ask about him but knew she would get no info from Tig right now. He was obviously in full on _Club Business Mode_. She hated when he was like this, it was as if the rational part of his brain turned off and he was incapable of calm conversation. She shot back at him in the manner she knew would get his attention. "I'm not some clingy bitch that can't go a minute without seeing you. I didn't call you five times for the fun of it. This is a NOT goddamn social call, Tig. I've got something you need to see."

He scowled at her. "Well, let's fucking see it already then."

She shook her head. "Get in the car."

"Goddamnit, Jaci. Stop being so fucking dramatic…"

She sat down in the driver seat and hissed at him. "Tig, get in the fucking car. This is serious shit. I don't want everybody hearing it."

His anger flared at her talking to him like that but he managed to contain it long enough until she was clear of the car door before shoving it violently shut with both hands. The car rocked on its wheels as he walked around to the passenger side. Clay arched an eyebrow in his direction; Tig shook his head harshly in return. He threw open the door and sat down, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Talk…and this better be fucking good. I'm not fucking playing around, Jaci. I am up to my eyeballs in shit right now."

"I can see that. Thanks for nearly breaking my damn windows with that door slam. Goddamn misplaced aggression…" She tossed the legal sized manila envelope in his lap. "Read it."

He stared at the envelope for a second. What could she possibly want to talk about that was so damn private and important? She was upset…calling him, showing up unexpectedly, acting all crazy. His heart started to pound in his chest. His voice dropped and he gave her a hard stare, clinching his jaw. "Are you knocked up?" He shook the envelope. "Is that what this is?"

"What?!" Jaci's eyes widen. "Fuck no!!" She shook her head, forehead creased at the crazy accusation. "Jesus, Tig! NO!! I wouldn't drive to your work to tell you something like that. And I damn sure wouldn't drop it on you in the middle of all this mess anyway. Shit." She snatched the envelope away from him. She couldn't help but run over his harsh words in her head _knocked up…what a supportive way to put it…asshole. _She opened the envelope, pulled out the papers, and then shoved them back at him.

"Ok then… what the fuck am I looking at?" Tig replied in a huff, embarrassed to have made such a wrong assumption. He took the papers and flipped through them. "This is just numbers and legal jargon bullshit to me."

"It's Opie's credit report." Tig's eyes locked onto hers and she knew without a doubt that whatever had happened today had something to do with Op. She felt her stomach clench as she continued to explain. "He came to me a few weeks ago. He was drowning in debt, stressed to the max, saying Donna was going to leave him if he didn't find a way to get clear of some things. He was at the end of his rope; I told him I would help him. But then the whole drama with the ATF and Vix happened and I got sidelined from working on his case. With everything happening with Bobby, it made me think of Opie. So today I sat down to start it up again…only now… there is hardly anything to fix."

Tig frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

Jaci rifled through the reports lying in Tig's lap. She pointed to the dollar amounts in a few columns on one report. "I ran this the day he came to see me. This is the _before_ version, lots of debt." She grabbed another report and pointed to a long line of zeroes. "This is the report today…the _after_ version. Tig, nearly all of his debt is gone…most of it's been paid off in full."

Tig sat silent for a moment, blinking. "Did you talk to him today?"

"No. I tried calling and couldn't get him. I just went to his house but no one's there." She stopped and took a deep breath, hating the conversation. "There are boxes all over the place…like he's moving. That's why I came here…to you."

"To me? You didn't tell Jax?" He eyed her with suspicion. "Op's his best friend…your brother-in-law…the VP?"

"Should have I talked to Jax?" She asked, thinking for a moment she had made a mistake but then shook her head. "I was going to give Op the chance to explain things. But when that didn't happen…I'm with _you_, Tig. So I came to _you_. I know you don't like hearing shit second hand."

Tig nodded slightly, appreciating the gesture of respect from her.

She leveled her eyes on him. "Tig, something's not right. Bobby's in jail and Op and his family are MIA and suddenly debt free. What the hell is going on?"

He ignored her question. "What time did you pull this new report?"

"Today…maybe an hour ago." She replied.

Tig leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. _Goddamnit…Op's a fucking rat. He goes missing, his debt disappears and now Bobby gets pinched; coincidence, my ass._ He gripped the papers tightly in his hands.

"Tig?"

"Shut up." He held his hand up without opening his eyes. "Just give me a minute here, would ya?" He blew out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He laid out the facts he was running through his mind, careful not to tell her anything that she couldn't find out on her own. "Bobby got pinched for murder, probably due to some witness I.D. and now Op's gone from drowning in debt to not a care in the world and his house is empty and we don't know where he is. Jax is out trying to find him right now. What do you think about that?"

"Shit." Jaci's face fell as she made the same jump in her mind as Tig was making. She stared at her steering wheel, grasping for a reasonable explanation. "Ok, wait though…I can't see where the money came from, you know…_how_ the debt was paid off. Juice could probably get that for you though. Op had a mortgage and car loans with San Joaquin Savings and Loan. Maybe Juice could get to his records there. Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding. I haven't talked to Op in a couple of weeks… maybe something changed?" Jaci didn't believe her own words though and stopped talking. Just by looking at Tig, she could tell he didn't believe her either.

They sat in silence, both trying to comprehend the situation. The Feds had been looking for a way to get to SAMCRO, they had tried and failed with the women, but had they finally found a weakness with Op's debt? Had they grabbed a hold and twisted until Op had cracked? Jaci shook her head, thinking aloud. "What I didn't get, when he came to see me, was how it had gotten this bad, the debt. I mean, I know he was away for like five years, but what happened to helping out the _family_? Didn't the club step up and help? Why didn't something get done to see that Donna didn't fall that behind while he was away?"

Tig sat up straighter and started shoving the reports back in the envelope. "The fuck do you care?"

"I _care _because that could be my _sister_ if Juice ever has the unfortunate need to go to jail. They're getting serious. Who's going to help her? What if they have kids one day?"

"The Club _tried _to help. Donna didn't want any handouts and cut us off. That debt's her own damn fault." Tig snapped back in reply. He leaned back in the seat, lifted up his shirt, and shoved the envelope under the waistband of his jeans. He pulled his shirt back over it and looked at Jaci.

"Keep this shit to yourself, understand? I'm going to tell Clay and we'll have Juice dig around like you said but that will be it and he won't know why we knew to look. The only person that will know you brought this to me is Clay. Anyone asks why you were here today you tell them we were arguing about some personal shit."

Jaci nodded her head in understanding and appreciated the insulating layers Tig was throwing up for her. "I hope we're wrong about all of this."

"Me too." He locked eyes with her again but his voice was suddenly softer. "Get out of here. Don't you have some shit of your own to deal with today?"

Jaci groaned. "God yes. Wendy's out of rehab, milling around town before heading for a sober living facility. Abel's probably coming home tomorrow. Tons of drama. I mean it's all good news but I'm sure it's going to be dramatic. Me, Vix, Wendy, Gemma and probably Tara all moving in the same circles…that's a lot of bitchiness to contain."

"No shit." Tig agreed.

"Back to the troubles at hand for a second, what about Bobby? Jason's on it, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." He still hated her calling Rosen by his first name but didn't correct her. He knew she would be worried about Bobby, the pair was pretty close. "Stahl headed up the arrest. She's probably just pissed cause she got her face smashed. Maybe it's all bullshit…maybe there isn't a witness."

"Face smashed?"

"Shit, I forgot to tell you. Luann's old man in the pen… slammed that bitch's face into a table a few times."

Jaci couldn't help but smile at the news. She would have loved to rearrange that agent's face herself. "Damn, I would have paid money for that privilege."

"I'll call you when I know something about him, ok? Go back to work. This conversation never happened."

She nodded and he got out of the car without another word. As Tig walked back up to the office, Clay raised an eyebrow in amusement. Tig clenched his jaw and with a slight shake of his head he said very quietly, "We got problems."

"I can see that." Clay replied with a smile.

"Not me and her…you and me. Come here." Tig replied as he walked right past Clay and into the office, knowing it was empty. "You need to see this."

Vix glanced over at her sister. "You need a GPS. The Lodi Mall is in _that_ direction."

Wendy nodded. "I know; I just want to swing by St. Thomas and check in on Abel."

"Like hell you are! You better just turn this car around; I refuse to be a party to this crazy ass plan. All you are gonna end up doin' is pissin' off Gemma when she finds out."

"I already talked to her this morning; she stopped by the motel. Almost swallowed my tongue when I opened up the door and saw her standing there. She told me I should stay at Jax's if I want."

"I thought that Fed kicked her in the ribs, not in the head."

Wendy shrugged as she pulled into St Thomas' parking lot. "I really need to know something... do you think that Tara still has feelings for Jax, I mean after all these years? I was… I don't know, pickin' up funny vibes yesterday?"

"I wouldn't know anything about that. I was in a coma for like a week and been on the mend for a few and I'm not exactly hangin' at the clubhouse ya know."

"I know but you've been in Charming for a few months. What is your honest opinion of Tara?"

"She's a predator posing as a house pet." Vix looks over at Wendy staring at her. "What? You wanted honesty, you got it."

"I.. I wasn't expecting it."

"Yeah, well... Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, Trick or Treat. Now can we just get a move on? We got a shit ton of things to do today."

The sisters made their way up to the pediatric floor and walked in just in time to see Jax and Tara tightly embraced and lip locked.

Vix stared at Wendy as they took in the sight of the couple. Wendy's breath came out all choppy as she worked to steel herself over. She glanced at her sister, "Well that answers that, hmm?" Turning on her heel she walked back down the hall towards the elevator.

"Mothershitfuck!" Vix groaned her new favorite cuss word as she walked after her sister.

She met up with Wendy who had her finger jammed into the down arrow elevator call button. "Wendy, I'm sorry man. I had no idea those two were back together and that was certainly no way to find out."

Wendy just shrugged and pushed harder on the call button.

A minute later the elevator doors slid open to reveal Gemma standing there.

"Gemma!!" said both the girls, startled to see her. Vix prayed like hell that Wendy hadn't been blowing smoke up her ass about that early morning motel meeting, otherwise things were about to get ugly in the halls of St Thomas.

At the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, all three ladies looked up to see Jax approaching. "Holy shit, what kinda party am I crashing?"

Gemma smiled at him, "Hi, baby. How's Abel?"

Jax nodded, "Good, I got called in to sign some prelim discharge paperwork. He's a free little man come tomorrow." He had needed to rush back to the clubhouse with the news he had discovered about Opie and his family's whereabouts but when Tara had called about needing paperwork signed, he decided to at least do one happy thing with this god awful day.

"That's great news, baby." Gemma smiled.

Vix smiled too, "That IS great news, man!"

Wendy nodded politely. "It is… it really is."

Gemma looked at the two girls, "I guess you two had better get to haulin' ass to Lodi for those party supplies."

Vix nodded, "Yep we'd better." She went to give Wendy a sisterly-shove in to the elevator but Wendy side stepped.

"Um, do you think I could see him, just for a little bit?" Wendy asked Jax with a shy smile.

"The respiratory therapist is with him right now, shouldn't be more than an hour or so. Why don't you swing by here later – spend all the time you want?" Jax offered.

Trying hard to keep the disappointment out of her voice, Wendy nodded. "Ok sounds good, I'll do that." She joined Vix in the elevator.

Before the doors close Gemma reminded, "I'll meet you two at Jax's house around 3."

Vix nodded as Wendy just stood there and watched the doors close. The elevator made it down one floor before the bell chimed and the doors slid open. Vix glanced towards the door and her breath got caught in her throat as her temper flared. Ernest Darby stood in front of them. She had been given the _Cliff's Notes_ version of the threat made against her and her family and the subsequent Nord stomping that occurred while she had been fighting her own death match against illness. She has also been instructed to stear clear of the skin heads and to keep her mouth shut and emotions in check should she run into them.

When he stepped into the elevator, Vix dug down deep to quell the urge to cold-cock the asshole. Knowing that she'd eventually lose her inner-struggle for calm and being in no real shape to defend herself or Wendy for that matter, she made the hasty decision to remove herself from the scene. She stepped off the elevator, leaving Wendy standing there blinking at her questioningly, as the doors slid shut.

"I'll take the stairs." Vix hollered at the closing doors.

Darby's laugh could be heard through the closed door. He thought to himself... _guess no one told little Ms. Vix that stairwells can be a dangerous place around here, 'specially since her family's gone back home._

Wendy glared at Darby and reached out and hit the button for the next floor. When the doors opened, she stepped out and turned towards the end of the hall where the stairs were located. She heard Vix cussing a floor below and hurried after her.

"Hey, are you supposed to be doin' stairs?"

Vix stopped and glare at her eldest sister. "I ain't supposed to be doin' SHIT! I swear to Christ, my exploding appendix didn't kill me but my god damn recovery just might."

**

Clay and Tig sat in the main room of the clubhouse when a very disturbed looking Juice walked in. The two looked at the Information Officer, both pretty damn sure they didn't want to hear the info he had for them.

"I just talked to our guy over at San Joaquin Savings and Loan." He took a deep breath. "Someone paid off a huge chunk of Opie's debt by federal wire transfer… mortgage, credit cards, car payments." He passed a print out verifying the info to Clay and Tig.

Clay looked at him, "This stays between the three of us."

"Of course." Juice replied, as if that was a given.

"Go." Tig said flatly, dismissing Juice from the room. Once Juice was gone he looked at Clay, "Opie sold us out."

Clay raised his eyebrows. "Or the Feds want us to think he did. That bitch is smart." He turned and hurdled his bottle of beer against the wall, shouting, "Devious gash!"

**

Gemma sat in the office of Teller Morrow sipping on the iced coffee she'd bought on her way in from St. Thomas. She unscrewed the top on a bottle of pain meds and downed one, her ribs were really killing her. _Fuckin' ATF Bitch. Calm down, Gemma – some day an eye for a fuckin' eye. _ But she didn't want a damn EYE; she wanted that bitch's head on a platter.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a woman's voice.

"Gemma."

She looked up startled to see Piney's ex-wife standing in her door way. "Mary? What are you doin' here?"

"Got a call from the Feds. They want me to pick my grandkids up from the Justice Facility in Stockton."

"Opie's kids are in a facility?"

"Apparently the whole family is. Can't get ahold of Piney, thought you might shed some light on why I'm schleppin' my fat ass 75 miles."

Gemma heard a motorcycle approaching and saw Jax pull into the lot. "Let's see if we can find out."

The two women walked outside. Gemma approached Jax as he was removing his helmet, "What's Opie's mom doin' here?"

"She's pickin' up her grandkids from the Justice Faciltiy." Jax was saddened but not entirely shocked by the news of where the family was. "Opie get picked up on that Hefner shit?"

Mary approached Jax, "What my son do this time?"

"Nice to see you too, Mary."

**

"It costs too much extra to get _ABEL_ added to the banner. _Welcome home_ is fine." Wendy said as she and Vix were picking out party supplies.

"Cost… schmost. Little dude is coming home, no expense shall be spared." Vix replied as she headed over to the display of foil balloons.

Wendy laughed, "That's cause it's not your money covering these expenses."

Vix stared over her shoulder at her sister. "It ain't your money either."

Wendy thought over that statement for about two seconds before replying to the clerk behind the counter, "Go ahead and add Abel to that banner. A. B. E. L. Got it?"

"Got it. Will there be anything else?"

"Will there be anything else?" Wendy looked at Vix.

Vix spun around "Hmmmm… two of those big rolls of baby blue and white streamers and balloons # 14, 26, 72, 19, 12, and 7. They come with those tie down thingies right?"

"Yes." The clerk replied with a smile.

"Great! Now where are your paper plates and stuff?"

"Aisle 5."

"Sweet." Vix started off in the direction of aisle 5. "Come along Wendy!"

Wendy shook her head with a smile but followed her sister.

**

Since her early morning discovery and subsequent chat with Tig concerning the state of Op's finances, Jaci had really tried to carry on as business as usual for the rest of the day…and had failed miserably. She sat in her office, pretty much just staring at her computer screen as a million questions and fears ran through her head. When her last client of the afternoon cancelled, she took that as a sign and took off for the rest of the day, thanking God for flexible work schedules.

As she drove home, she wondered how things were going between her two sisters. She'd scribbled a note to Vix and left it on the counter before she headed out this morning, asking for Vix to please play nice with Wendy. She had been thinking that they could have been nicer at dinner the prior night. Jaci pulled out her cell phone and called Vix.

"Hola!" Vix's voice snapped to life over the line.

"What's up sista?"

Vix laughed. "Nothin' just prayin' I make it home in one piece. I never realized how bad a driver Wendy is."

Jaci could hear Wendy in the background saying "_That parked car pulled out in front of us!_

"He had the right-of-way and he wasn't _parked_, but then again I guess everything seems parked when you're driving 100 miles an hour." Vix snapped back.

"Where are you guys?" Jaci laughed.

"Just rollin' into town now. You still at work?"

"Just left. You need some help?"

"Is that a trick question?" Vix laughed. "Yeah, we sorta got waylaid in the decorations store and Gemma is gonna have our asses over how little we got done."

"Worry not; the organization guru is en route. Later."

Vix hung up just as Wendy swerved the car into the lot next to the local mom n pop sandwich shop. Vix's phone flew out of her hand as she reached out to steady herself. "Where the hell did you ever learn to drive?" She realized where they were. "What? Got the munchies?"

"Nope." Wendy pursed her lips as she stared out the windshield.

Vix looked over and saw Tara getting up from one of the outside tables with a few co-workers, judging by their scrubs. "How'd you know she'd be here?"

"I didn't, I saw as we drove by."

"And what exactly are you plannin' on doin' to Ms. Tara? I wasn't kidding about how far behind we are on our to do list from Gemma. Ass kickin's and their resulting drama take time we don't have, Wendy."

"I'm just gonna talk to her, Vix." Wendy soothed as she exited the car.

"Fuck me!" Vix groaned as she got out of the car. She knew she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If shit went down between Wendy and Tara, besides not being in any shape to be throwing or stopping punches, she'd be torn on loyalty. Wendy was her sister, her blood and for a few more months Jax's wife. BUT if what they both witnessed today between Jax and Tara was a true indicator of what is going on, Tara could be considered to BE with Jax and even though Tara was FAR from Vix's favorite person that still brought up all sort of conditions regarding hierarchy of respect.

Vix walked up to Wendy and Tara in time to hear Wendy asking the doctor why she hadn't found time to tell her she was sleeping with her husband.

Tara smartly countered with "EX-husband."

"That ain't official yet, Tara… 'nother few months." Wendy corrected.

"I've got to get back to work." Tara said and turned to walk away.

"She hates you." Wendy reminded as she turned back and looked at Tara. "Gemma… she'll never let you be with him. You'd be smart to quit while you're ahead… or alive for that matter." Wendy smirked. "Come on Vix, we've done our public service for the day. There is a lot of shit we need to get ready so Jax and I can bring our son home."

Tara stood there contemplating Wendy's words. The look Vix shot at her over her shoulder was not one Tara could easily read, but she certainly didn't find it friendly or apologetic.

**

Gemma arrived at Jax's place to find the Parker sisters fast at work decorating. Slipping her sunglasses off, she leaned against the archway surveying the work, "Looks good."

Vix walked in from the kitchen. "Hey, Gemma."

"Hi, darlin. So what is left to do?"

"That would be a question for our technical director, Jaci. I'm currently in charge of grub. Whatcha like on your pizza?"

Gemma shook her head, "Not a big fan." She looked over, a bit startled to see Jaci, "Playin' hooky?"

"I went in early today, thought I'd dip out early, too. Help keep these two organized." Jaci answered with a smirk.

"Thoughtful." Gemma nodded, "Well, you girls did really good here. I think I could spring for some lunch, a little late but better than never."

**

"How's the pie?" Gemma asked as she took a puff off her after-dinner cigarette.

"Really good." Wendy said as she spooned the last bite into her mouth.

Vix slipped back into her seat after returning from the ladies room, "Did y'all see that woman that just walked in?" Three heads bobbed up and down in reply. "Have you ever seen anyone in worse need of a hair makeover, Jesus Christ."

Gemma looked across the table at Jaci, "I might have."

Jaci realized that Gemma may be talking about her and frowned, "What?"

"When was the last time your ass was in a stylist chair?"

Vix glances at Gemma and then at Jaci, scrutinizing the condition of her sister's hair. With a sigh, "It's been like forever. I was tryin' to get her to take time off and come into SNIPS, but she's always busy then I got sick and well, let's just say my health issues have had damaging effects on heads of hair all across this town."

Jaci picked up the napkin dispenser and looked at herself in its reflective surface. She frowned, "What do you mean? Its all BROWN...there are no roots...what's the problem?'"

Gemma raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh trust me baby, there are problems."

Vix laughed, "You'll have to excuse Jaci, she's a total tomboy when it comes to hair. Well compared to the hair-colorin' lover that is me. Christ, I've been colorin' my hair for so long I'm not sure I even remember what my natural color is anymore."

Wendy smiled in amusement at the current exchange. "Well wouldn't the color of the hair on another part of your..." She looked at Vix who was shaking her head _no._

"Waxed, baby." Vix smiled.

"Ok, TMI!" Jaci announced. "And on that note…we should be getting back, we've got things to do."

"Relax." Gemma replied coolly."Besides your ass ain't goin' anywhere but to SNIPS."

"What? Seriously, Gemma… my hair is fine. Besides tomorrow is another day, maybe I will…."

"Tomorrow is _busy_ day. I think we could all use a bit of glam, look our bests for Abel."

Gemma stood up and walked over to settle their bill. Jaci looked at Vix and Wendy, "What the hell? I am seriously not comfortable playin' _Fashion Make Over _with Gemma."

Vix shrugged, "She's bein' nice J, besides it'll be fun. Just go with it."

"Famous last words." Jaci muttered as they all headed for the door.

**

Jaci sat in the stylist chair. She stuck her tongue out at her image in the mirror thinking _Sometimes I wish I were a vampire, no reflection. _Vix walked over and leaned down beside Jaci, their heads next to each other and their reflections side by side in the mirror. "Relax chica, your hair is in my very capable hands."

Jaci stared hard at Vix in the mirror and warned, "SUBTLE." Vix smiled and walked towards the backroom. Jaci twisted in the chair. "You hear me? Keep it SUBTLE!" She thought of Tig's reaction if she somehow wound up with un-natural looking hair. "PLEASE!!!"

Vix shook her head and kepts walking. "You'll be fine. When have I ever steered you wrong?"

Jaci scoffed causing Vix to giggle. "Ok, you'd better not answer that."

**

Tara drove by SNIPS on her way home from work and happened upon Gemma, Wendy, Jaci and Vix all sharing a laugh and a smoke in the parking lot. Wendy's warning from early in the afternoon echoed in her mind as she past. With a sour look on her face, she pulled the pin on an imaginary grenade and lobbed it out the passenger side window at them.

The door to the salon opened up and Eve stuck her head out. "Hey Vix. Darlin', can I have a word with you before you leave?"

Vix nodded and glanced at Jaci. "Be right back, k?" She crushed her cigarette butt out under the toe of her boot and headed back inside.

Jaci saw Gemma checkin' her watch and suggested, "Why don't you two go ahead back to Jax's? Vix and I will meet up with ya there in a little bit."

**

Vix walked back inside the salon and smiled. "Eve-y baby… it felt good to be back home and working today!"

Eve smiled and sighed, "It was great to see you baby girl. Now have a seat there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh god! This is bad, right?" Vix looked at Eve,. "I've been fired before ya know. This is what that sounds like. Eve, are you firing me?"

"That's not exactly what I am ..."

Vix took Eve's hands, "Eve, I promise my appendix won't burst ever again. It… it can't cause they removed it... and I um, I am pretty sure that none of my other internal organs will suddenly explode, you know without some serious damage doing on my part..."

"I am gonna be a grandma." Eve announced, cutting off Vix's ramble.

"What? Huh?"

"My boy, Conrad and his no-good-senseless-wife are having a baby and he asked me to move closer to them. They've got an in-law suite, but I am sure I need to put a bit more space between me and that wife of his... but still if I want my grandbaby to have a snowballs shot in Hades of turnin' out _normal_ I'd better make the move.... so I am gonna be closin' up shop."

"SNIPS is closing?!" Vix repeated with a gasp. "H-h-how...w-w-when? Oh my god, Eve! You know you're gonna upset a lotta people. Half-the town comes here to get their hair done and the other half would if they knew what was good for 'em… cheap bastards that they are runnin' off to the $6.95 hair hackers." Vix stared at her boss, "Have you really thought this through? I mean really? Are you gonna be ok in Des Moines?"

"Denver." Eve corrected her.

"Des Moines, Denver, where ever. I mean you have trouble stomaching a ten minute phone call with your daughter-in-law how you gonna stand living there? I think maybe you need a prescription cause in my opinion you've lost your damn mind."

"I've not lost my mind, Vix. I have thought about it." Eve stood up and started pacing around. "I've been cutting hair in this town for goin' on 25 years. I'm ready for a change and well, I really do need to go protect my grandbaby from its totally horrendous bitch of a mother."

"I know you do, family is family." Vix finally agreed with a sigh. "Look at me and Jaci, moving the whole way here to protect little Abel from, well ... we don't need to name names." Vix sighed again, thinking to herself. _W__hat the fuck am I gonna do?! God, I'd rather slit my writs with a plastic butter knife than go work in one of those chop-shops over in Lodi or something. _"So when are you closin'?"

"I'm givin' a month's notice to the clientele, just picked up the notices from the printers. I went the whole way out to Oakland to avoid early leaking of nasty rumors; you know this town. I was gonna come by and see you at your place, tell you before you heard about it elsewhere and then low and behold you waltz in here tonight."

"I appreciate that. I'm gonna miss workin' for you. I loved it here." Vix stood up and hugged Eve.

"I'm gonna miss you too, baby girl."

Jaci was waiting in her car, drummin' her fingers to the beat of the music, when Vix opens the passenger side door and climbed in, "Don't ask." She said as she sat down. "Um, do you think you can drop me at home? Tell Gemma I'm not feelin' well all of a sudden."

Jaci nodded, one glance at her sister told her that whatever Eve had had to tell Vix it couldn't have been good. "You got it girl."

**

After verifying from two sources that Opie's finances had been paid off, Clay and Tig spent the rest of the afternoon mentally digging Op an early grave. An impromptu ice cream social with Rosen had added depth to their fears. Rosen warned them that if Opie had turned, the Feds would use him to try and get even more information on the club before they hauled him in for good and stuck him and his family in the witness protection program. Tig pushed aside his jealously issues with Rosen and really listened to the advice the lawyer was giving them which boiled down to being very wary of Op and to check him for wires.

Clay had told Jax to bring Op in as soon as he was released from Fed custody. They had agreed to let Op explain the situation. But even after hearing Op plead his case, Tig was not swayed. The listening devices he had found in Op's truck and in his phone had convinced him that SAMCRO had a rodent infestation that needed to be take care of immediately. The bugs put the final nails in Op's coffin and Tig knew he was going to have to kill his brother in order to save Bobby and the club. After a heated discussion, Clay had told him to make sure the assassination never came back on the club and he was going to do just that. Tig's thoughts eventually made their way to Jaci like they seemingly always did these days. Growing up around clubs, she would probably understand what needed to be done but she would not be able to handle the guilt that came with knowing she had added to the avalanche of doubt against Op. He would have to spin Op's death so that she didn't feel any heat.

**

The night's activities were in full swing at the Club House. Everyone was celebrating Op's release from the Federal holding facility and his resistance to their efforts to flip him. Juice was in his usual perch at the bar with his lap top, drinkin' a beer and frowning at the screen when he glanced over and watched as Chibs pulls one of the crow eaters to the side and whisper something in her ear. She nodded and walked away.

"Ah ha, fresh meat, fellas!" Chibs called out as a gaggle of twenty-somethings were led into the room by two other girls Juice had seen hanging around the place before. A beeping sound resonating from his phone stole his attention. As he keyed in a code, a text message appeared on the screen. He quickly read it and then snapped the phone shut like a venus fly trap and focused again on his lap top.

A few minutes later, Chibs walked over and slammed the screen shut the computer. He already had one of the girls hanging on his shoulder. He grinned at Juice. "Work time is over, brother. Time to party. Here drink some of this."

"What is it?" Juice asked, sniffing the glass of amber liquid Chibs poured for him. He took a sip. "That's pretty good."

"You bet your balls it is." Chibs refilled the glass. "Here have a bottle, I've got another… somewhere?" The chick on his shoulder whispered something in his ear and he smiled. "Ha, over there it is! Thank you, darlin'."

Juice laughed and downed another glass. Half Sack wandered over to him, "Is it me or is Chibs soundin' like Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Juice cracked up, "It's probably you, Prospect. But if he starts hollerin' about why's the rums' gone... then we'll start worryin'." Juice held up his glass. "Do you know what this shit is? It is fuckin' good man!" Half Sack only shrugged and walked away.

As the night wore on, Juice became aware of a blonde haired chick who kept watching him. Every time he saw her she seemed to have moved a bit closer to him. He was thinking that maybe it was the effects of the mystery drink but suddenly she was sitting right next to him. He turned and blinked at her. She looked like something out of a Nickelback video. _Dressed up like a princess, betting that her skin smells better than the scent of every flower in the desert, come on!_ "Hello." He mumbled.

"Hello back." She replied with a bright smile. "I'm Blair."

"Juice."

She frowned playfully. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah. Wanna drink?"

"Absolutely."

Juice grinned and stood on the rungs of the bar stool. He reached behind the bar and grabbed a glass, sat back down and poured her a tall one. The two begin chit chatting at the bar; smiles and grins exchanged, chuckles and giggles, as well.

From where he was standing across the room, Half Sack watched the exchange and thought to himself _aw, shit_. Emily Duncan watched the exchange with interest from the other side of the room. When Blair leaned in and whispered something in Juice's ear followed a quick peck on the cheek, Emily immediately started looking around the room for Vix. Emily was feeling a bit generous that evening so she decided to save the new girl from an ass kicking.

Emily walked over to where Juice sat with the blonde. She smiled sweetly at Juice, "Can I borrow her for one little second please?" Juice frowned but nodded. Blair stood up and walked away all while eying the older woman nervously. Juice watched as she walked off, studying her rear profile. He smiled to himself and poured another shot of Chibs' mystery tonic. Half Sack saw Juice alone and took the opportunity to inquire as to his current mental status. "Hey man, what's goin' on?"

Juice chuckled. "Dude, that hot chick was just hittin' on me..."

"Dude, do you want to think about what you're doin'??" Half Sack asked gingerly.

Juice looked over at the Prospect and in a cockiness that was totally not like him, replied, "The fuck you care?" He took another drink and then a few chugs of a beer. "I thought about it…it's all good dude." He looked over to where Blair was in discussion with some of the other girls. He looked her up and down. "Definitely all good bro."

The girls stopped halfway across the room. Emily still wore the sweet smile. "I haven't seen you around before so I thought I would do you favor and explain something to you."

"My name's Blair."

"I don't care what your name is honey. Just listen. Unless Juice came onto _you, _you need to back off."

Blair frowned. "Why? He's hot."

"Because he's totally into Vix."

Blair looked at her dumbly, "Vic's? Like the cough drops and stuff? So he has like a cold medicine addiction? I didn't even know you could get addicted to that stuff."

Emily had planned on explaining that Juice had a girlfriend, a very _hostile _girlfriend so unless it was Juice's choice to strike up a conversation or anything more, he was usually considered off limits. But since Blair seemed to be such a smug little idiot Emily decided to leave the girl to her own devices. If Vix swooped in and kicked her ass so be it. Emily squeezed the girl's shoulder and smiled. "Yeah, that is TOTALLY it. You gotta watch out for this cough medicine though, it'll kill ya." Emily walked off, rolling her eyes as she went.

Blair shook her head and wandered back toward Juice. She gets to her seat next to him as someone cranks up a radio and suddenly some heavy rock/rap shit is playing. Blair smiled and started singing the lyrics to Juice… _**Y**__**ou're so sweet, I wanna lick the wrapper**_.

Juice raised his eyebrow and thought to himself _B__ring it on baby_ as he downed the last of his drink.

**

Tig had a hard time enjoying the little Op freedom celebration. In his head, he kept going over and over the pile of rat evidence against the young biker and watched with barely masked disdain as Jax and Op shared a few beers together. Tig clenched his jaw tightly as he saw the two young men laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. Bobby was sitting in a jail cell tonight, how the fuck could anyone be happy?

He walked outside for a moment to calm down. If he kept watching Opie, he knew he would end up saying something harsh and couldn't risk tipping his hand. He needed a distraction. He pulled out his phone without really thinking and started to dial Jaci's number. He shook his head and slammed his thumb down on the END button, sliding the phone back into his pocket. The last thing he needed to do tonight was THINK. His brain was about to overheat as it was from thinking all day. If he went to Jaci's, they would TALK about everything; he would end up sharing more than he should since she had a damn witch's ability to just pull shit right out of his head.

Tig inhaled sharply and rolled his shoulders while pacing. He felt like he was about to explode from the day's tension. He didn't need to _think_, he just needed to _do_, to get back to the fundamentals... of being a SAA, to being himself. Until the task was done with Opie, he needed to steer clear of Jaci. She had an extraordinary pull over him and he didn't need any chinks in his armor right now. He needed to be his old self for a while…fuck having a conscience, fuck _thinking_ about things and feelings and whatever. Fuck it all. He wished he could just walk back into the clubhouse and empty his gun into Op's chest and be done with it all but the situation called for discretion and patience, not two of his strongest characteristics.

As he paced, he had been absently glancing at a croweater who watched him as she leaned against the clubhouse wall, smoking a cigarette. She was smiling at him with mild amusement. He looked like a caged animal trying to find the weak section of a fence. She crushed out her cigarette and began toying with a lock of her hair just as his stare shifted from distant to predatory. He stopped pacing and locked eyes with her. She felt her heart jump a little as she got a good look into his cold blue eyes. For a half second she wondered if she had been safer when he wasn't paying any attention to her. He came to stand about a foot away from her, not moving, just staring. Her eyes widen slightly. He cocked his head toward the parking lot. "Come on." He said simply and then headed for his bike. She watched him for a moment and then pushed off the wall to follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 5- Give and Take**

**By BG and Reaper**

**** Special shout out to Prpldphn for helping out with some scenes! You always help me get my stuff straight and I totally appreciate it! ~BG**

**** Also, a HUGE thanks to all the readers that review our work! All of us fanfic writers do this for FREE…there is no monetary payment! The reviews are our currency so please keep them coming…make us rich! There is no way to describe how great it feels to get an in-dept review. **

**** Don't forget to check out ****.net**** if you haven't already done so for all things SOA!**

**

As morning broke over Charming, people found themselves waking up to both usual and unusual situations. Clay and Gemma woke up together as always, Jax had spent the night at Tara's house while his soon to be ex wife slept alone at his place. Opie and Donna had piled into bed with their kids; a sign of familial solidarity after the prior day's harrowing experience with the Feds. At Parker Place, Jaci and Vix woke up alone in their respective bedrooms, both a little disappointed at not having heard from their men but understanding that when the shit hit the fan in the MC world, girlfriends were often pushed aside until further notice. Jaci slept a little less easy, having the weight of the knowledge of Opie's real situation upon her shoulders.

The early morning sun hit Tig's face, making him blink. He woke enough to open his eyes and realize that he was horribly hung over. He stared directly above him and recognized the ceiling as his own, meaning he had made it home even if he didn't remember doing so. His brain pounded in protest of being used to think. He slid his eyes to the left as he realized he wasn't alone in his bed. When he spotted brunette hair, his mind tried to trick him into thinking it was Jaci lying face down next to him. He stared at her for a moment and frowned when he realized the sleeping woman's back was void of any tattoos. Flashes of the night before flooded over him and he realized that no, the woman lying next to him wasn't Jaci…wasn't even close. Tig couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing, probably a little of both.

He shoved at the woman's shoulder and she raised her head with a grunt to look at him. Tig hoarsely whispered, "Get out of here." He kissed her without thinking as he started to push her away from him. "Go." She rolled out of bed without a word and closed the bedroom door behind her. He sighed and rolled onto his stomach, quickly dropping off to sleep again. His killer game face was on and that pain in the ass new-found growing conscience of his was no where to be found. His ever present little inner demon just smiled, _Welcome back, killa... It's been lonely around here without you._

******

Tig strolled into the clubhouse an hour and a half later. He nodded at Juice and looked to Chibs, "What the hell is his problem?"

Chibs sipped his Bloody Mary and replied, "A bottle of vodka's still lodged in his head… and some blonde is giving him nightmares? Wait, _DAY_-mares?"

Ignoring the Scotsman's _lyrics-to-reality_-dilema Tig questioned, "Blonde? What? Vix change hair fuckin' color again? Shit's gonna fall out she keeps that up."

Chibs cracked up. "And Tig is speaking from experience; the 70s and 80s were particularly harsh on the follicles."

Tig flipped him off. At the mention of Vix, Juice groaned. "I am so dead, dude. If Vix finds out about this she will dump my ass."

"Am I missing something?" Tig cocked his head. "Awww was Juicey a baaaad lil' boy?"

"Mmmhmmm." Chibs nodded and glanced over at Juice. "You wanna share or can I?"

Juice grimaced and held his head in his hands and shrugged so Chibs continued. "He woke up this morning on the pool table, _naked_, with some blonde hair chick named ... umm..."

"Blair." The Prospect offered while continuing to sweep the floor. He started humming the theme song to The Facts of Life… _you take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have the facts of life... the facts of life._

"Thank you, Prospect." Chibs nodded. "Blonde chick, named Blair."

Tig, hearing the Prospect humming, thought for a second and asked, "Hey wasn't there a blonde chick named Blair on The Facts of Life?"

Half Sack stopped and eyed Tig. "How do you even know about that show?"

Tig smiled. "Bobby had a bit of a weird crush on that Mrs. Garrett bitch. We used to get high and watch it some afternoons."

Juice groaned. "This is what I get for getting half-tanked." Half Sack shook his head in an _I__ tried to warn you_ gesture.

"You were more than HALF-tanked, brother... more like your TANK over-floweth." Chibs pointed out with a laugh.

Juice stood up and started pacing. "Not helping!"

Tig rolled his eyes from his perch at the bar. "Stop acting like a bitch, man. Grow a pair, since you seem to have lost yours. Vix grew up in a club…she knows shit happens."

"Yes she knows what goes on ... but we had a very specific agreement that it would NOT go on with ME."

Tig shook his head. "You're fuckin' pussy whipped…givin' that bitch WAY too much control. You're gonna want to get an on/off switch on that conscious of yours or you're never gonna make it in this world. I mean… are you even worthy of that Reaper you're sporting?"

"Well we can't all be so wishy washy when it comes to morals, can we Tig?" Juice spat back.

Chibs interrupted. "Hey, hey… ok hang on. Just because Juice attempts to be faithful to his ol' lady, err girlfriend... eh, whatever the fuck Vix is. That does not make him unworthy of The Reaper." He held up a finger. "It may or may not suggest that he owns a closet fulla skirts though, since Vix obviously wears the pants..." Chibs eyed Juice, who looked to seriously be a step away from melt down, and decided to knock off the punches. "Ok, look man… what's done is done. Can't take it back. Besides if I remember correctly, and I do admit to drinkin' a bit and therefore my memory could be considered by some to be a bit _hinky._"

Tig held up his hand. "Chibs? Do you have a point?"

Chibs nodded. "I was just about to make it."

"'Bout fuckin' time." Tig mumbled.

"Where was I again? Oh, yeah… if memory serves, the girl had to practically throw herself at you and even then you were tryin' to resist it. Look, we are all under some serious stress here, then if you add it all that medical drama that has put Vix outta commission so to speak, and the alcohol... well, you're only human. So keep it on the down low cause what Vix don't know can't hurt **you**."

Juice nodded his head in agreement. "But I totally love Vix."

Tig scoffed. "What's love got to do with anything?"

Juice shrugged. "Hell if I know. I need a shower, man. I smell like guilt and Channel No. 5"." He walked out of the club house main room and towards the apartment in the back.

Tig hollered after him. "The way you're sweatin', a hundred showers ain't gonna help!"

Clay walked in and eyed the guys cautiously. "What'd I miss?"

Tig laughed. "Oh, not much... just talkin' about how Vix is gonna put Juice's balls in a blender if she finds out about last night."

******

Later that morning, with all of the guys present except for Bobby, Clay lined out his newly made deal with the Niners. The deal would serve several purposes. Alvarez would be taken out permanently and the Mayans would be knocked out of commission for a while. The Niners would be appeased for their annoyance at the Son's for selling to the Mayans and would Tig would get the opportunity to put a bullet in Opie. Clay kept that last tidbit to himself of course. The guys were wary of selling their own safety stock of weapons but in the end the deal was approved. Careful to keep the money and guns separated, Clay and Jax would handle one side of the deal while Tig and Opie would handle the other.

Tig stared straight ahead as Opie drove; it was the only way he could keep himself from lunging across the cab of the truck and choking the shit out of the man sitting next to him. _How the fuck could you rat us out? How could you fucking do it?! _Tig stewed in his disbelief and anger until Op asked to borrow his phone and snapped him back to reality. He gritted his teeth and put on a friendly face before handing the phone over. He listened to Op as he tried to call his wife and kids. Tig was happy that Donna didn't answer and would not have once last chance to talk to Opie; fucking bitch had caused enough trouble by turning Op against the club. She didn't deserve a last goodbye.

Opie surprised Tig by asking about his kids. Tig frowned at the question. _Why do you give a fuck about my kids? You're about to rat and send me and the rest of the club to prison. What's it matter how often I see my kids? Not going to see them at all from a jail cell, asshole. _But again, Tig put on the friendlier mask and answered another one of Op's questions.

"What does Jaci think about your girls?" Op asked.

Tig shrugged, acting as if he was bored. "She knows about em, that's about it."

"Does she want to meet them?"

"Probably. Don't all women get their ovaries is an uproar at the mention of kids?" Tig stared out the window. "But we don't talk about them. I'm not trying to start the goddamn Brady Bunch, Op."

"The thought never crossed my mind." Op chuckled. "Jaci doesn't have any kids that I ever heard of...unless you plan on making some." Op smirked at him.

"Fuck you, Opie." Tig replied in response to the baby comment and to the situation in general.

**

The gun and money drop offs turned out to be complete and total cluster fucks. Apparently LaRoy and the Niners were way more pissed about the Sons selling guns to the Mayans than Clay had anticipated and LaRoy had a made a play to take out _everyone_, club affiliations be damned. Clay and Jax had gotten away unscathed as had Tig and Opie, although, due to a slight freeze up on Tig's part, he came dangerously close to getting his ticket punched by a Niner at the doll warehouse. Opie had come up behind the guy and calmly put a few rounds in the gangbangers head, effectively saving Tig's life. After that, Tig had not been able to end Opie's life as had been planned. They hauled ass out of the warehouse and headed back to the clubhouse.

The men sat around the picnic table at Teller Morrow, all a bit in shock at the day's events. Jax got the call that Abel was being released from the hospital and rode out to retrieve his baby boy. Left alone, Clay and Tig shared a look of pure _What the fuck?! _Clay inquired as to why Opie was still standing and for the first time in his life, Tig lied to his best friend, saying he couldn't get a clear shot. The truth of the matter was he had had the clearest shot _ever_ but couldn't take it. In those quick few seconds, he hadn't been able to rectify the fact that Opie had saved his life with the suspicion that he was a rat out to sink the Club.

As Clay mused over the botched hit, Tig stared straight ahead, part of him hoping that Clay would pull back on the assassination order and regroup for a bit, something didn't feel right to him. But no such luck was found. Clay landed on the brilliant idea to stage a drive by shooting after Abel's homecoming party with instructions for Tig to '_make it ghetto, make it gangster'. _Tig reluctantly nodded his agreement and started to compile a list of things he would need to get before heading to the party later that night…_untraceable gun, face mask, gloves, and a ghetto ride._

**

It was amazing how even with all the stressful situations going on the guys could put it all aside for a bit to celebrate Abel's homecoming. Everyone piled into Jax's house and milled around, anxiously awaiting the baby's arrival.

Jaci somehow managed to find herself crammed into a corner of the living room with Donna and some club hang around she had never seen before who looked like an extra from an Aerosmith video. The woman, who had introduced herself as Shannon, was very chatty…horribly stupid, but chatty. She rambled on and on while Jaci and Donna smiled politely and tried to make conversation.

Jaci couldn't help but zone out while Shannon talked. She looked at Shannon, then Donna and then down to herself. Her mind conjured up a favorite old Sesame Street skit; she surprisingly still knew the words to the skit's song. She sang the lyrics in her head and resisted the urge to hum.

_One of these things is not like the others. _

_Which one is different, do you know? _

_Tell me which thing is not like the others and I'll tell you if it is so._

"So who are you here with?" Shannon asked Jaci. Jaci blinked, feeling as if she had been busted for daydreaming in class.

"Excuse me?"

"I said who are you here with?" Shannon smiled. "Which Son?"

Donna and Jaci exchanged a quick look. It was obvious the woman had no idea who Jaci was or who she was related to in the SOA family. Jaci couldn't resist messing with the woman.

"I'm with Abel."

"Abel?" Shannon cocked her head. "But he's a baby." She frowned. "I don't get it."

Jaci rolled her eyes in frustration while Donna choked back laughter. She actually had to fake a cough into her hand to keep from busting out in a fit. Shannon actually looked a bit appalled by Jaci's answer.

"Of course you don't, darling." Jaci mumbled and then spoke louder. "I'm Abel's _aunt_. Wendy, his mother, is my _sister_. Jax is my brother in law. Abel is my _nephew_."

"Oh!!" Shannon laughed. "HA! I thought you were some kind of pervert or something!"

Jaci had had enough and had to get away from the dim witted woman. She held up her empty cup. "I'm going to go toss this. I think there is some trash to take out too."

"Oh, I'll help you!" Donna interjected and both women made a bee line for the kitchen together.

Donna busted laughing as they made it alone into the kitchen. "Oh my god! You handled that sooo well!!"

Jaci made a choking gesture around her throat. "Stupid people kill me!! What's it like to be that oblivious?!"

"I bet it's nice." Donna grinned as they actually started to haul out a full bag of trash to the carport. "Imagine if you would have told her who you were really with?! She would have freaked out!"

"Damn…there are going to be some very awkward moments if he and I are ever _really_ public. I do not look forward to that day." Jaci replied as she threw the trash bag into the can and slammed the lid down.

"Don't take this the wrong way…but I just cannot get my head around you and Tig. I've known him for a lot of years and…."

Jaci waved her off with a smile. "Yeah…I know. I don't get it either, so no offense taken."

Donna looked around the carport for a moment and then blurted out, "I'm really glad you're around."

The statement caught Jaci by surprise and her heart slammed in her chest. She suddenly was very nervous to be alone with Donna, given the circumstances of the last few days. Jaci prayed like hell that Donna would not mention the ATF ordeal or their finances so she wouldn't have to lie or play dumb. But then again, she wasn't sure if Opie had ever even told Donna he was seeking outside help for their financial situation.

Donna saw the confusion on Jaci's face and continued. "It's just… you're _normal_. It's really nice to have someone normal to talk to."

Jaci grinned, knowing she was in the clear. "By normal, do you mean _non-skank_?"

"More like… an ally in the SAMCRO world of hardasses _and_ skanks." Donna replied with a smile. She had initially subbed the Parkers when they had arrived in town, wanting no part of kin to a junkie. But as time went on and the Parkers really settled in Charming, Donna had started to warm to them. She had started taking the kids to Vix for haircuts and had spoken to Jaci whenever she saw her around town and Vix had even watched the kids for her. Now that she had decided to stay with Opie and really try to be a part of the SAMCRO family, she thought Jaci might be the one woman to get closer to.

They watched as Jax, Gemma, and Wendy came walking up the front sidewalk with Abel and darted back inside to meet them at the door. An eruption of cheers came when Jax came walking in with the baby wrapped up in his arms. Vix and Jaci pushed through the crowd to lay eyes on their nephew and hug their sister. It was a nice moment for their family. Clay tilted a beer towards the baby and Gemma playfully admonished him. Once everyone was settled down, Gemma pulled out her camera and the picture taking began.

**

Chibs watched Gemma snapping pictures of Wendy, Vix, and Jaci all cuddled up with Abel. The girls were all smiles and trying to accommodate Gemma, who was turning out to be a very demanding photographer but she wanted to sure to get some good pics to send down to Roxy in Alabama. Chibs frowned and rubbed a finger along his chin, deep in thought. He leaned over to Tig, who was sitting on the couch next to him. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "You know...none of those girls really look alike. You think JJ was really the daddy of all of them?"

Tig followed his gaze and shrugged. "Always heard their mom was a bit of a whore...so who knows. Doesn't really matter though, her and Jesse are dead and gone. Who would they bitch to about it now?"

"Yeah, guess you're right." Chibs said with a nod. "So that's what the JJ stood for…Jesse?"

Tig smiled. "Yeah…JJ and BB…Jesse James and Billy Bob Parker. Gotta love the rednecks."

Chibs cracked up with laughter and then gave the girls one last look. "Well, it's not like any of them are sportin' their natural hair color anyway so who knows."

"If we're going off appearances, Vix's dad could be Bozo the goddamn clown." Tig agreed. "Fuckin' pink streaks."

**

Vix couldn't help but laugh at Gemma, who kept taking pics of Abel, "Easy Grams! You're going to blind the poor kid!"

"Kid's gonna need glasses at six months." Jax teased and handed off Abel to Jaci as he went to snag a beer. Jaci kissed the baby's forehead and cuddled him against her shoulder as she watched Vix and Gemma staring at the digital camera and reviewing pictures.

Clay walked over to Jaci, smirking. "Like the way a baby feels in your arms?" He knew Tig was watching the scene from the couch and was within ear shot.

Jaci grimaced, "Actually it sort of burns, like a vampire getting sprayed with holy water." Obviously joking, she laughed as Clay shook his head. "Actually, I only like kids from the ages of three to seven, when they are cute and cuddly. Any younger than that, they are screaming crying mess makers except when they are sleeping. Any older, they get attitudes and opinions and become spoiled brats."

"That's one very specific way to put it." Clay laughed.

Vix finished with picture review duty and nudged Jaci to let her have the baby. "Well, he doesn't burn or annoy me. Come here little dude."

"Oh shit…of course the CRAZY one is comfortable with babies." Clay teased.

"Vix was the _Mother's Little Helper_ of the 'Bama crew. For a buck-fifty an hour she'd supply members with her _imaginative _idea of child care." Jaci explained. She and Clay seemed to have the exact same thoughts as they watched Vix walk over to stand next Juice. The couple both made goofy faces and cooed at Abel. Clay and Jaci looked at each other. Jaci mumbled. "Heaven help all man-kind if those two ever get to reproducing." Clay nodded and held up his beer bottle as an Amen.

**

The party rolled on and everyone seemed pretty happy, talking and laughing with each other in small groups, except for Tig who sat on the couch and kept to himself for the most part. Since the shoot out at the doll warehouse earlier in the day, Tig had been struggling with his task of having to kill Opie. He just couldn't reconcile the idea that Op was a rat and wanted to destroy the club with the fact that Op had stepped up without hesitation to blast a Niner and save his life. Did informants commit murder?? He had even hoped that after lying and saying he couldn't get a clear shot on Op, Clay would drop the green light on the guy and just wait and see how things went. But oddly enough, while watching the happiness around him at the party, everything finally clicked into place for Tig. Op _was_ a rat. Of course he would do _anything_ to keep Donna and his kids safe even if that meant blasting a Niner so that Tig thought he was on the level. He would do _anything_ to keep his cover intact. So what if he had killed someone, he knew Tig would never rat _him _out to the Feds. So there it was in black and white, Op was a rat and he had to die.

Tig caught Op staring at him and Tig managed to nod slightly in return as his mind raced. _Op, you have to die, bro. You have to die so that Bobby doesn't take a needle in the goddamn death chamber_. _You gotta die to keep this club enact_, _to keep the rest of us out of prison, to keep all these families from being ripped apart. I'm gonna put a bullet in you so Abel here doesn't grow up in a foster home because his family got jailed for being RICO accomplices. _He watched as Jaci thumb wrestled for a moment with Op's son, Kenny. _Op, you're gonna die so that goddamn perfect woman in front of me gets to keep that smile on her face. You're gonna die because you forgot what matters in this world, you fucking rat. Fuck you, Opie. You never should have ratted. Saving my ass doesn't change a goddamn thing._

He watched as Jaci headed to the kitchen. They had been careful to stay clear of each other during the party but different reasons. She was staying clear since the party's attendees included some people that were not in the so called _inner circle_ of the club and she didn't want to tip off anyone about her relationship with Tig. He had been staying away from her thinking his head would be more focused that way. But after making up his mind about Opie, he knew he could be around her and not be swayed. He headed to the kitchen to get another beer and to finally talk to her for the first time in almost two days.

"You hidin' out in here?" Tig asked as he strolled into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Thankfully and surprisingly, the kitchen was empty besides the two of them.

"No." Jaci shrugged from her seat at the kitchen table but then reconsidered. "I dunno, maybe. Jax, Gemma, Wendy, Tara, me and Vix…everyone's being so fake nice to each other. It's giving me a bit of a headache."

"Well, everyone's buying it so keep it up." Tig replied and stood in front of her while staring down at the cake that declared _Welcome Home Abel_. "There will be plenty of time for yelling and screaming…just not tonight. You women can't hold your claws in forever."

Jaci smirked. "Speaking of claws and things that give me a headache…that blonde sitting next to you on the couch…why don't you just pull her onto your lap already? You know that's where she wants to be."

He shrugged. "If you want to sit by me, just do it."

"Public displays of affection are a no-no, remember?" She replied in a tired voice.

"Jax is sitting in there with his wife _and _his girlfriend for fuck's sakes so who gives a shit?" He moved the cardboard base of the cake back and forth slightly with his fingers, wondering if the cake was chocolate. His resolve with the cake finally broke. He reached around the cake and took a swipe of icing from the bottom of it.

"TIG! Gross!" Jaci exclaimed and slapped his hand.

Tig batted her hand away from him with a laugh. "What? This wasn't from the cake, it's from the cardboard! Calm down!" He held up his icing covered finger and then pouted. "Want me to put it back?"

Jaci shook her head no and tried not to smile…she failed. "Have your icing and eat it too." Tig grinned and sucked the icing off his finger. He cocked an eyebrow and using his other hand he swiped some more icing from the actual back of the cake this time. He held out his icing covered finger towards Jaci. "Here…I'll share." She half smiled, half frowned at him, shaking her head. He stepped closer to her, "Come on…do it."

She smirked as she watched his expression turn from playful to a bit lustful, knowing exactly what he wanted her to do. She took a glance toward the kitchen doorway to make sure no one was standing there then she wrapped her hands around his and slid his finger into her mouth. Keeping her eyes on his, she sucked the icing off of his finger, gently at first then with more force, making the experience as _life like_ as possible. She slid her teeth gently along his finger as she pulled her mouth away from him.

"Fuuuuuuck." Tig breathed. The look on his face was priceless. Jaci laughed slightly, thinking just how shockingly easy guys were to please.

Vix walked into the kitchen, obviously miffed about something. She saw the very end of the little exchange between Jaci and Tig and frowned. "Hey! Ya'll better not be messing with that cake!" She hissed at them as she walked over to them, shoving Tig slightly.

Tig snorted. "I'd slap my dick in the middle of it if I thought your sister would put _that_ in her mouth right now." He shoved playfully back at Vix. Jaci just laughed and shook her head.

Vix laughed but then leveled her eyes on Jaci. "Dude, I seriously think Wendy needs to be BACK on some kinda drugs. Every two seconds she flips back and forth between being self-righteous and being _woe-is-Wendy_. She is in there now going on and on about how it's so good to have him home. I mean really? Abel woulda been home a long-assed time ago if she had been half-a-mom. Christ I need a smoke." She up nodded to Tig. "Can I bum one? Mine are in my purse out there next to Whack Job."

Tig chuckled at Vix's frustration. "Sure." He pulled out his pack and with a flourish of his wrist, one cigarette stuck up in the pack. Vix grabbed it and leaned over as he flicked open his lighter and held out for her. Vix was going to head outside but Wendy wandered into the kitchen. Tig and Jaci were effectively pushed backwards to the center of the kitchen.

Wendy shook her head. "Do you know what Luann just gave me?" She held up a book, "_What to Expect: The First Year_. Why doesn't she just come out and say _here loser you need all the help you can get_?"

Vix looked at Jaci with a _see what I mean_ look. Jaci sighed. "I am sure Luann was just being thoughtful, lots of parents have those books. Even _super_ moms need help now and then."

Wendy scoffed, "And everyone knows I'm far from _super_, right?"

"That's not what I meant, Wendy."

"Please, I know an insult wrapped in a compliment when I hear one. I should…they're all I've been getting for days, for years... no, more like forever!"

"Here we go." Vix muttered a bit too loud.

Wendy glared at her youngest sister, "Oh, you wanna start now?" She looked at the lit cigarette in Vix's hand and added, "You shouldn't be smoking that in the house ... it's bad for the baby."

"Excuse me! Thanks to YOUR habits Abel's umbilical cord was practically a Krazy Straw and you're condemning ME for a cigarette??" Vix glared and using her newly acquired Spanish vocabulary, thanks to Juice, spat back with "**Vete al carajo y nome jodas la vida**!" as she walked out the back door.

Wendy shook her head and seeing Juice walk into the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about asked, "Did you hear Vix?"

Juice stammered and then answered, "I think everyone in a three block radius heard Vix."

"Can you translate?"

"Um, yeah but you really don't want me to. The only Spanish Vix knows so far are cuss words." _And a few phrases laden with sexual innuendo_ he thought to himself. "Where'd she go?"

"I hope to Hell but I guess I'll have to settle for the backyard." Wendy muttered angrily.

Juice chuckled to himself at Wendy's preferred destination for her sister. Ironically that was just where Vix was cursing Wendy to as well as advising Wendy not to fuck with her. He nodded to Tig and Jaci as he passed them on his way out of the house.

Jaci just stared at Wendy and remained silent but apparently Wendy was not finished ranting. "Oh, and just why the HELL is Tara here?? We're not in the goddamn hospital anymore; you'd think I would finally be clear of her. Stupid bitch."

Jaci wanted to bite her tongue but she couldn't let the insulting of the doctor slide. "Tara helped save Abel's life. She's taken care of him everyday since he landed in that hospital. If she wants to see him home, she has every right to do it."

"Did you invite her? Because this isn't exactly your house to be inviting people to." Wendy spat back.

"And how much longer is it your house??" Jaci asked with a smirk. "A couple of weeks? Just when is your divorce final??"

"That divorce may not even happen." Wendy retorted. "And don't you dismiss me with a roll of your eyes." Wendy slammed her hand down on the counter top in frustration. "Goddamnit! I always get the shit end of the stick!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Jaci frowned. Tig leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms as he watched the sisters square off with each other.

Wendy shrugged. "It is just amazing how no matter what happens some people come out smelling like roses. I guess it goes with having people who truly care about you."

Jaci looked at her sister blankly. "What do you think all these people are here for? They all care!"

"Please… they are here for Abel, or Jax, or to appease Queen Gemma. This party ain't about me."

"EXACTLY! So why don't you stop whining about it?"

"I have EVERY right to WHINE! No one ever has saved me".

Jaci stepped closer to Wendy and hissed. "Oh, you sure you wanna go down this particular road, Wendy? Huh? Do you really?"

Tig had been amused by the arguing at first but when he saw that it was inching towards fight level, he stepped towards Jaci. "Alright come on… this isn't the time or place for this shit." He put his hand on her lower back in an attempt to guide her out of the room.

Jaci pulled back from his touch. "Now is as good a time as any since she brought it up." She turned back towards Wendy. "How can you say no one ever tried to HELP you, huh? How many HOURS, how many calls in the middle of the night have we had...me trying to talk you out of fucking up?! And if we didn't give a shit about you, why the hell did

Vix and I move across the dam country to be here for you?! We quit jobs for you...threw the brakes on our lives to come here!"

"You came here for Abel, not for me!" Wendy glared at her. "Quitting jobs…your big important job…my God you think you are just SO damn better than me don't you?!"

"I don't think I'm better than anyone. But even if I did, you damn sure don't do much to prove me wrong do you?" Jaci spat back with a smirk.

"Oooooh." Tig let out a laugh.

Wendy noticed Jaci's balled up fist. "What? Being with Tig have you prone to violence now?? Are you gonna hit me?"

Jaci stared back coolly at her sister. "I don't have a problem with that. I have it with your sanctimonious shit." She glared at Wendy. "You think you have some right to life working out the way you want it to and when it doesn't you get to act-out any way you want. Worse yet is the fact that you try to blame everyone else when you screw up. Poor Wendy, either you are too wasted to be held accountable or you're too overwhelmed by LIFE without crank that we're all just supposed to overlook your actions and be grateful that you're sober. Remind you of anyone? Hmmm? Because it sure as shit reminds me... and if you don't watch it you'll end up just like her."

"I am not Mom!" Wendy fired back.

"Do you think my life turned out this way by luck? Fuck no! I worked HARD to become the antithesis of Mom."

Jax entered the room to find the two sisters ready to go to blows. He looked over at Tig just watching, "Why the hell didn't you break this up?"

Tig turned and stared at Jax. "You fuckin' kidding me?" He scoffed, "I tried to head off _Cat Scratch Fever_, but I sure as shit ain't gettin' in the middle of it." Tig headed for the living room, happy to be relieved of the drama.

Jax shook his head, "Jesus Christ. A'ight, the two of you knock this shit off! Today ain't about either of you."

Wendy started to say something but Jaci cut her off, "Jax is right, it isn't about _US._" She spoke to Wendy's retreating back. "But I have seriously had it with your poor me bullshit!"

**

Tig saw Clay motion for him out of the corner of his eye when he cleared out of the kitchen. He walked over and simply said, "Hey."

"Hey?" Clay looked at him incredulously, "I just got _the look_ from Gemma. What the hell is going on with _The Parkers Three_ now?"

Tig shook his head, "That little blow up has been a long time comin' brother. The upside though…who needs to pay for cable when you got _Days of Our Lives_ in the fuckin' kitchen?"

Clay sighed and shook his head. "According to Gemma, Wendy's got another week in town. This shit continues, they'll kill each other and we'll be burying all three of them up on the hill next to their folks by then. You talk to Jaci, _today,_ and tell her to keep herself and Vix in fuckin' check until the junkie is gone."

Tig nodded, "You got it."

Just then Moby rushed past Tig, glancing here and there, as if he was looking for someone. He stopped at the entrance to the kitchen and walked inside.

Jax had his back to the doorway and didn't see Moby enter. "Seriously Jaci, could you cut Wendy a little slack? She is barely sober and if we want her to stay that way we need to…"

Jaci raised her eyebrows and smiled ruefully. "Jax...I love you, bro…but do NOT give me advice on how to handle junkies." She glanced to the side of Jax and saw Moby standing there. She was instantly sorry for her choice of words, "Um, hey Moby. What's up dude?" When she took a closer look at the kid, she could see he had something very large crammed up underneath his t-shirt. "Whatch ya got there?"

Moby grabbed her hand and led her away from Jax, who gave his head a last harsh shake and headed back into the living room. Moby pulled the black skull covered diaper bag from underneath his shirt. "Dad didn't wrap it…you're _supposed_ to wrap presents. Now everybody is gonna think we're dumb."

"No way, Moby!" Jaci exclaimed. "This present is too cool to be dumb. Jax and Abel are going to love it. It doesn't matter if it's not wrapped." She pointed to the pile of presents behind them on the countertop. "Those are from the other guys and the only reason their wrapped is because Vix and I did it. Guys don't have to wrap stuff, it's a rule."

But the youngster was adamant that they try to wrap the gift and would not accept any free pass. He quickly became agitated and upset about the situation which made Jaci worry. Moby had obviously had enough of the spotlight being on him and his dad; he just wanted to fit in today. "Ok, ok. Don't wig out on me, Moby. It's cool…we'll get your present wrapped. No worries." She said softly. Moby shuffled from side to side as she started looking through kitchen drawers until she found the tape and scissors they had been using earlier. She thought for a moment and disappeared to the carport, returning a second later carrying a Sunday comic section of the newspaper. Thank goodness Jax had been lax on his recycling. She took Moby by the hand and led him out of the kitchen and then through the living room. She caught Tig's eye as they passed and she raised her eyebrows as if to say _more drama!_ She took Moby into Abel's nursery and plopped down on the floor.

**

Juice walked outside and found Vix sitting on the table top of the picnic table. She had her back to him and didn't see him standing there so he had time to figure out in his head what he was gonna say. Despite all the _advice_ he had gotten from the guys, he was still feeling like a complete shithead for his actions last night. _I__ should have spent the night breaking down with her instead of at the clubhouse fucking a bored college chick who wanted a taste of a bad boy. _He watched her frowning at the sky, appearing to be contemplating something. "Penny for your thoughts?" he announced.

Vix glanced back and saw Juice approaching the table. As he sat down next to her, she sighed, thinking about what she had just been worrying about… _how she wasn't going to have a job... about how Abel is home but she is worried about him even though he has 'crazy, fierce grandma' lookin' after him ... about how uber worried she is about Juice- cause he seemingly goes from extremely moody and pushing her away to over-the-top attentive. It just had her completely confused. She also worried about Bobby and the entire club. Hell with RICO evoked, even her family and the 'Bama crew were in danger_. But lying she answered with, "I doubt they're worth that much. Fuck, I may have to pay you a nickel to listen to them, just to make it worth your time."

"You know I love all the crazy stuff that's in your head." He replied with a slight grin.

Vix smiled, "Yeah, I don't know what that says about you though." Her smile semi-faded as she asked, "You get my text last night?"

"Yeah, but not 'til real late." He lied. "My phone was on _manners mode___and I had it sittin' on the bar." _O__k, that part was true enough, wonder if that cancels out the first part? _ He thought to himself. "You said you were having a bad night and goin' to bed, I..."

"I didn't mean for you to take that as a request to stay away. You should have come over_."_

_You don't know how right you are_ he thought but said, "Yeah I know that and I'm sorry. It's just shit is real intense right now and last night all us guys we needed to blow off steam and..."

"I heard all about it." She interrupted him and turned towards him with the saddest look on her face. "I just can't believe it you know. I- I am trying to wrap my head around it and I know that is why you are acting this way..."

Her words caused Juice's heart to fly into his throat. He had to swallow hard around the lump it seemed to cause and he stumbled at first. "How do you? Who was talkin' about it?" _He thought for half a second that perhaps Kipp had felt the moral obligation to rat him out about last night, but before he decided to track down The Prospect and do some bodily damage_ he asked, "Did Half Sack say something to you?"

"Kipp?" Vix studied him. He suddenly seemed very antsy. "Huh? I haven't talked to him in like a week, why?"

Juice shook his head, "So how'd you know?"

"Come on, you know how people talk in this town. You didn't think you would keep this a secret did you? What pisses me off is that I should have heard it straight from you not from my sister."

Juice blinked, "Jaci knows?!?" _What the fuck? Tig? Would he say something? Highly unlikely but he might find some sick, twisted amusement out of all of this... _

Vix nodded, "Yeah. It's almost like you're avoiding telling me.'"

"Look, Vix, I am so sorry baby, I know we agreed to be open and honest and..."

Without giving him ample time to fall apart and confess, she interjected, "A State official? Death penalty? RICO? That's some heavy shit, baby."

Juice stared at her blinking, suddenly realizing that _**his**_little mistake was still unknown by her. He sighed with relief and then re-focused. "I know…and I would have told you everything but I don't want you worrying about me and the club. You need to focus on getting better." He grabbed her and pulled her to him in a tight embrace thinking with disgust and disbelief about how easily lying, even partially, was coming to him. Knowing how shockingly close he had come to slipping the noose around his own damn neck was not lost on him either.

**

"Can I help do it?" Moby said as he sat on his knees in front of Jaci.

"Sure. I wasn't planning on doing this by myself." She replied with a smile. She motioned for him to scoot back and then spread the paper out on the floor between them. Moby immediately got a little distracted at looking at all of the colorful comics and Jaci didn't hurry him, thinking he needed a little time to calm down. Hell after nearly coming to blows with her big sister, Jaci needed some time to chill out too. She took a deep breath and sighed as she leaned back against the wall. After a few moments she started showing him how to go about folding the paper around the diaper bag.

Jaci was handing the kid pieces of tape when Tig peeked around the doorway. He stood perfectly still and quiet and managed to watch the pair for a little bit without being noticed. She laughed and encouraged Moby as he proceeded to wad the paper around the present and start to cover it with tape. Something about seeing the way she looked at the Moby made Tig's heart skip a beat. She seemed so natural with the kid. Tig shook his head. Here he was watching his girlfriend play mom to a kid while he was gearing up to kill a man. Something was seriously wrong with that situation.

She just happened to glance toward the door and busted Tig staring at her. She smiled slightly and he returned the gesture as he stepped into the room. Moby slapped another piece of tape onto the gift and Jaci laughed. "Ok, I think our work is done here."

"Kid, any more tape and they're gonna need a chainsaw to open that." Tig said as he leaned against the wall just inside the nursery.

Moby's head shot up. "You snuck up on us!"

"Tig's a part time ninja." Jaci replied and then whispered. "Don't tell anybody." Tig winked when the kid looked up at him with a grin. She handed the wrapped gift to Moby. "You good to go now?" Moby nodded and slapped a low five with her as he ran out of the room.

"What's with the sudden Moby fascination?" Tig asked as he extended his hand to pull Jaci up from the floor.

She stood and leaned against the wall in front of him, mirroring his posture as she corrected him. "Not a fascination and not sudden. Gemma asked us to help out with him a while back, so we have. I didn't say anything because I didn't think you would care to hear about it. He's a sweet kid, deserves some special attention."

When Tig didn't reply, she winced and looked down at her feet, biting her lip. "Hey…um, I'm sorry about the little sisterly blowup earlier. That's was way out of line. I guess that's what happens when you don't TALK about your problems. Stuff festers for twenty years and then goes BOOM."

"'You were pretty blunt." Tig smirked.

Jaci shook her head in agreement, "I gotta watch my mouth but at the same time, it needs to said, you know?" She rubbed her face with her hands. "Grrrr, I'm beginning to lose my Southern manners...I think you _are _rubbing off on me."

Tig smiled. "You got to cool it though...direct orders. Just make it a week…she'll be out of your hair."

"I know, I know. But Wendy and I…we're going to have to settle some stuff and…" She stopped talking and waved her hand around. Tig watched with a frown. "This is my shit, not yours…never mind." She shook her head. "Sisters… you can't pick your family that's for damn sure."

"You know, I'm surprised." Tig announced with a laugh as he thought over the interaction of the Parker sisters during the party. "I'm surprised after having one of you girls your parents didn't stop right there. What were they thinking?"

Jaci smiled. "They weren't thinking… they were more like…weighing the odds on having a better one. You know, this horse, that horse. Daddy always did have bit of a gambling problem."

"He _did_ like to hang out at the track." Tig agreed.

Jaci nodded. "All day, every day; if you were a thoroughbred you had his attention, otherwise well, you know..." She rolled her shoulders and was quiet for a second and then smiled. "I am morphing into one of them...shit!!"

"One of what? Your parents?!"

"No." Jaci laughed. "Donna and I were talking about how we are the two seemingly normal ones in a world of hardasses and skanks around here and there I went almost coming to blows in the kitchen. Very classy."

A wry laugh escaped him but he wasn't very amused. "You were talkin' to Donna, huh?"

Jaci nodded. "Yeah, she has done a complete 180 from how she acted at the pool party this summer. She seems to be very focused on trying to fit in with the club and stuff. Sounds like her and Opie are gonna try to work stuff out, which is good. Lord knows we don't need anymore one parent households around here." She looked back up at him. "Speaking of them, everyone seems chummy out there tonight. How are…_things_? I've been worrying non-stop."

"Things are fine." He replied without a second's hesitation. He had expected her to ask, knowing she would have been worried and wanting to help him if she could. He had his lies ready to go. Being around her was surprisingly easier than he had expected it to be, his conscience had been shoved in a deep dark closet for the time being. He was firmly living in the camp of _what she didn't know couldn't hurt her_ until further notice.

"Yeah? All the _stuff_…"

"Stuff was bullshit, nothing to it. Just Stahl trying to stir up shit again." He reached out and rested his hand on her hip.

"Fuckin' bitch." Jaci mumbled. "I wish she'd find another hobby besides us."

Both of them were quiet for a moment. She stopped talking and smiled a little at the odd intent look he was giving her. "Why are looking at me like that?" Tig shook his head slightly but stayed silent. _There he goes saying everything without saying a word._ Jaci said sarcastically, "Oh hell…I said _US_…while standing in a nursery…ooooooh." She smirked at him. "Don't worry; I'm not looking to get _knocked up._"

"Good." He replied flatly and a second later he stepped very close, leaning into her. "You know…I don't mind the _practice_ as long as there's not any _output_."

"Well, good thing I'm responsible then, huh?"

"One of us has to be." He whispered and leaned in to kiss her before she could say anything else. The kiss felt good and heated up a bit quicker than either one of them expected. A normal man would have felt bad about kissing his girlfriend the day after cheating on her but Tig wasn't phased. The woman from the night before hadn't meant shit to him, the woman he was holding now did; there was no conflict in his head about it. He had a solid grip on her hips and she put her hand behind his neck and leaned into him, only to have him break the kiss.

"We should take this down the hall." Mischief danced in his eyes as he leered at her. "I'd give my left nut to fuck you on Jax's bed. He would be so pissed. Maybe I could bring the cake…"

"SO not happening." Jaci replied with a laugh. "You'll just have to find another way to win your little pissing contest with Jax."

"We could do it in his closet if you're worried about getting caught." Tig offered. "Wouldn't take too long...trust me."

Jaci playfully punched him. "No sex at my nephew's party…period. Now shut up and just kiss me again before we get busted." The busting came a few seconds later when Clay cleared his throat loudly as he came into the room.

"Break it up you two." Clay chided as he walked over and threw a blanket over the railing of the crib. "No nookie in my grandson's nursery." The pair moved away from each other, Jaci looked a tad bit embarrassed. He nodded her toward the door. "Gemma's looking for you; something about another picture and she's probably gonna chew your ass for the fighting bullshit."

Jaci threw a hand up. "I've got my apology ready to go." Tig held his stance against the wall but held onto her hand as she walked past him and headed for the hall. She slipped her fingers free from his and was gone.

Clay stared at his Sergeant-At-Arms. "You good? Your head on straight?"

Tig nodded coolly and Clay could see the emotion drop out of his friend's eyes effortlessly like countless times before.

Clay pointed to the hall. "We're protecting everything out there by doing this."

"Fuckin'-A."

**

As Chibs stood around he noticed that the kids are looking bored, even with Piney's whiskey glass balancing act. He glanced over to the Prospect, who was doing nothing more than holding up the wall. He walked over, "Hey, the little ones could use some entertainment… and you're it, Prospect. Take the lot of them out back and toss around a football or something will ya?"

Half Sack nodded and wandered over to ask the kids if they wanted to go play outside. Gemma smiled at Kipp's thoughtfulness and mentioned that she had seen a football and stuff in the garage. He nodded and then as if he were the pied piper of the SOA, the kids followed him through the kitchen and out the back door.

Vix and Juice were still sitting on the picnic table talking. "Losing your job is not the end of the world, baby." Juice was saying when Half Sack approached them.

"Hey, Chibs says I got to entertain the kids."

Juice looks at him, "Yeah, so?"

Kipp wrung his hands. "Was wondering if you want to help? Ya know, toss the football around."

Vix noticed Ellie still standing just right outside the door. She looked in Vix's direction and then quickly away. _Hmmm?_ Vix wondered. She glanced over to where Kenny and Moby and two other boys she'd never seen before were discussing something. She heard Juice about to decline Kipp's request for help and patted Juice on the back, "Go play, baby. By the looks of it those boys," she nodded to the group of them, "they're comin' up with a plan. Don't want the Prospect to get his ass stomped by a bunch of six year olds."

As the "boys" wander off to play, Vix remained sitting on the table watching Ellie out of the corner of her eye. It took about 15 minutes but finally the little girl came and sat down next to her. Vix smiled, "So why aren't you out there playin' ball?"

"I'm not very good at sports." Ellie replied shyly.

"Ok, so what do you like to do?"

Ellie shrugged, "I don't know."

"You don't know? How can you not know what you like to do?"

"I don't know. I guess I like to read and stuff."

"That's good. I hate reading but my sister, Jaci loves it; says it takes her places in her mind that she could never go to any other way."

"I know what she means."

"Really? I thought she was full of crap." Vix replied with a frown.

"Nope. She's a smart lady."

Vix smiled and laughed. "That she is. So since we can't really talk about books cause I don't like 'em, and I really don't want to sit here and talk about my how smart my sister is for hours and hours… is there anything else you like to do?"

"Ummm, I like to cook."

"Seriously? Ok, that is like strike two. Maybe I could tell you what I like and then you can just jump in when you hear something you like."

Ellie laughed, "Ok."

"Lets see… mmm, I like music."

"Ok."

"Movies."

"Umm hmm."

"Sports, crap ok we already covered that. Hmmm, I like giving make over's, making people look pretty."

"I wish I were pretty."

"What makes you think you're not?"

Ellie sighed. "Please don't tell me I'm _pretty in my own _way. Do you own a TV? Do you look at magazines? They are full of pretty people. I don't want to be _pretty in my own way._ I want to look like those people."

"Honey, those ain't _people.._. those are _models_. Those chicks don't even look like that without all their stylists and make up artists and people picking out their clothes."

Ellie sighed and Vix thought _well strike out on fashion talk._ "Ok lets see what else I like…" _that discussing with a 9-year old would not be considered corruption of a minor._

Suddenly Ellie turned towards Vix and blurted, "I think my parents are gonna get a divorce."

"Excuse me?" Vix asked with her eyes wide.

Ellie released a rant. "All they do is fight all the time and Mommy said we were gonna go move up by Gramma Learner… but then she got in a big fight with Gramma over Dad and Gramma thinks he is a bad man… and then we came back home and then more fighting and then we got taken away by the police and that was horrible even though Kenny thought they were cool cause they had video games and ice cream. I know it was bad… then Gramma Mary came and took us with her. I just want everyone to stop fighting … sometimes I hide in my closet to stop hearing it."

Vix just stared at the little girl and had to clench her jaw to keep it from dropping open from shock. "Oh baby girl." At a loss as to what to say to the girl Vix muttered, "Maybe we could talk about books, I mean I have read one or two in my life."

Suddenly Ellie lunged towards Vix and hugged her tightly. Vix hugged her back and noticed Juice watching them. He shot her a questioning look and she made a _yikes_ face.

When Ellie pulled away moments later, she started wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I'm ok now, thanks for listening."

Vix nodded. "It's ok baby girl. Sometimes we all need to let it out, ok? And I can only think of one little thing to tell you and it is something that my Aunt Roxy told me few years back when I was having a really hard time… _**When life lives you a hundred reasons to cry… you just turn right around and show life why you got a thousand reasons to smile.**_**" **I know it ain't much but it's something to think about." Vix held Ellie by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "And you let me tell you something else…all those models and pretty faces in those magazines and on TV… not one of them wouldn't likely trade their looks for smarts because looks go away with time, trust me I am in the business I should know, but brains… you got them forever."

Ellie nodded to Vix just as Chibs pulled open the back door and yelled "CAKE CUTTING IN FIVE MINUTES!"

Vix smiled at Ellie, "You run on and get you some cake, kiddo."

Ellie nodded and joined the boys who were already running for the door.

Juice walked over and looked at Vix and nodded towards Ellie, "Everything ok?"

Vix rolled her eyes, "Jesus Christ!"

**

Everyone was gathered back in the living room, munching on cake when Tara decided to stake her claim on Jax. She and Wendy had been shooting daggers at each other most of the night and Tara had had enough. She sat on the arm of the chair that Jax was sitting in, waited until she knew she had Wendy's attention and then leaned over and kissed Jax rather intensely on the lips. Wendy clenched her jaw. Chibs and Tig exchanged a look then turned their attention to Jaci to see how she would take the stunt.

Jaci watched the kiss with her mouth forming an O. She was very thankful that Vix had chosen a great moment to head to the bathroom and therefore missed the entire event. Jaci knew she had been disrespectful by getting into a yelling match with Wendy but at least her fighting had been reactionary. Tara's lip smacking of Jax had been 100% staged and intended to hurt Wendy and Jaci didn't like it one bit. She might yell and scream hurtful things at her sister but she would be damned if she would let someone else stomp on Wendy's feelings.

Jax handled the kiss coolly and without causing a scene, he calmly took Tara down the hall into Abel's room to discuss the matter. Tig smiled to himself, thinking the baby's room was getting quiet a workout tonight. Tara returned a moment later in a huff and ran out the front door. Jax strolled down the hallway, sporting a nice red handprint on his face. Juice stood grinning at him. Jax shook his head and asked Juice to make sure that Tara made it home ok. Juice nodded and handed him his beer with a grin and left the house.

Vix came up the hallway and frowned at the now mostly silent living room. She walked over to Jaci and whispered, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing." Jaci whispered back. She took a closer look at Vix and frowned. "You look a little pale. Do you feel ok?"

Vix shrugged. "I'm a little tired."

"You should go home and rest. You've been doing too much these last couple of days." Jaci chided.

"Mine is not to question your wisdom, Obi Wan." Vix replied at which point Jaci knew her little sister was hurting because she'd never leave a party early without good reason …EVER. "Let me go find Juice to let him know we're headin' out."

Jaci stopped her, "Um, he's doin' something for Jax right now. I am sure he'll figure it out when he sees we're gone. Just go kiss the baby and I'll take you home."

Vix said her goodbyes quickly and headed outside to the car. Opie and Donna decided it was a good time for them to leave also and began rounding up their kids and telling everyone bye. Clay locked eyes with Tig…it was go time for the drive by. Tig looked back at his friend with hardened eyes and downed the rest of his drink. He stood up and walked out of the house without saying a word to anyone, which didn't really anyone's suspicions since Tig was an asshole and always left club events abruptly and unannounced.

Jaci, Opie and Donna were standing outside on the street talking, the kids tucked away in Donna's car, when Tig came out of the house, got on his bike and took off. Jaci figured he had had enough of kids and families for the night. She didn't blame him. She could hardly wait to just get home and go to sleep.

"Hey, did I hear you tell Gemma you were coming back tonight?" Donna asked Jaci.

"Yeah. I'm just going to drop the gimp off, then run and get some dishwasher detergent from the store then come back and help clean up." Jaci smiled. "It's the least I can do for getting into a yelling match with Wendy in the kitchen."

"Well, at least you didn't make out with Jax in front of her." Opie teased and they all laughed.

Donna cocked her head. "You know what? I think I'll stay and help too." She nodded toward Jaci. "I can go get that detergent if you want. Then I'll just meet you back here?"

"Sounds like a plan." Jaci smiled and nodded, thinking _Wow, the ice queen might really be coming around. This is good. _"I'll see ya in a few minutes." She headed toward her car and called back over her shoulder. "See ya, Op."

"Night." Op replied.

**

As Tig roared down the street on his bike, his mind was racing just as fast. All day he had went back and forth about having to kill Opie. He had been ready that morning and then not ready when it came down to it at the doll warehouse. After watching everyone at the party, he had been ready to do it again in order to protect everything in his little world but after talking to Jaci about her chat with Donna, he wasn't so sure again. He had started watching Donna and Op more closely during the party. He knew they weren't that good of liars. Maybe they really had told the ATF to stick it. Jaci had a good bullshit detector for the most part and she fully believed Donna. Tig had started to second guess himself. But then Tara had pulled her kissing stunt and had broke his concentration and then the next thing he knew Op and Donna were leaving, Jaci and Vix were leaving, and he had to go. There wasn't any time to try to pull Clay aside and touch base with him. Things were moving too fast.

Tig parked his bike in the overgrown alley and pulled off his cut, laying it on top of his bike. He held his phone in his hand and tried to get his mind to slow down; thoughts were jumping over all. _Do it…don't do it? Do it…don't it? _A small part of him wanted to call the whole thing off. Suddenly that little internal demon of his was screaming at him. _WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! Fucking MAN UP!! You've already fucked this up once today! Do you really want to tell Clay you couldn't do this because it didn't FEEL RIGHT?! Handle your goddamn business!!_ _Kill the fucking rat and be done with this shit!_ Tig slammed the phone down on his bike and walked off in a rush.

As he settled into the SUV, pulling on his face mask, hoodie and gloves, he worked on steeling his resolve again but when it came down to it he decided to pull the drive by off by shooting through the back glass of the truck. Bottom line, Op had saved his life earlier that day and Tig knew he couldn't shoot Op face to face. Maybe some of that conscience Jaci had brought to life in him wasn't as dormant as he had thought. The decision turned out to be one of the worst mistakes of his life.

He pulled up behind the truck at the red light and held the Uzi outside the window. He squeezed the trigger and hail of bullets riddled the back windshield. He pulled up alongside the truck to make sure Op was dead and was shocked to be looking into Donna's dead eyes instead. He whispered, "Oh shit" and stared at her for too long. He made himself snap out of it and sped off before a crowd could gather.

He dumped the stolen SUV and finally made it back to his bike. He was shaking so bad he had take a few minutes to calm down so that he wouldn't wreck on the way back to the clubhouse. He paced by the bike with his hands in his hair. He blinked furiously, not comprehending why his eyes were watering. _Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh Jesus, what did I do?! Goddamnit, I'm fucked! I am so fucked! _He finally managed to get on his bike and put his cut on his back; it felt like wearing a ton of bricks. He tried to slow down his breathing and checked his phone just to give himself some more time to calm down. He saw that he had missed a call from Clay's cell. _What the hell is that about?_ He pushed out a sigh. _Ok, ok…calm the fuck down. Pull your shit together. It's done, it's over. Come on…come on. _He kicked his bike to life and drove off to wait to hear about the drive by 'officially' from Clay. When he arrived at the crime scene later, he had no problem pulling off a look of shock and dismay as he watched Opie cry over Donna's dead body.

**

Tig stood and stared around the crime scene in shock. The look he had gotten from Clay was almost enough to make him pull out his handgun and put a bullet in his own head. Juice walked up and stood next to him. Tig reached out and rested his hand on the younger biker's shoulder. After a few minutes, Juice turned to Tig and choked out, "I…I gotta call the girls."

Tig managed to nod once but squeezed Juice's shoulder harder. "Keep them away from here, Juice. Tell them to stay put. They don't need to see this shit."

**

"Tell me everything!!" Vix demanded. Jaci had made the mistake of mentioned Tara's kissing stunt and now Vix wanted details.

Jaci heaved a sigh. "Damnit…you're like a kid wanting another bedtime story!"

She had spent too damn long getting Vix all nice and comfy and thought she was free to leave. "I'll tell you later. I gotta head back to clean up."

"Oh bullshit! You don't even _want_ to go back there. You're just trying to score points with Gemma. I want to know what happened!"

"Ok, ok." Jaci was just about to cave when Vix's phone blared.

Vix pointed at her sister. "You stay put! You are NOT off the hook."

Jaci crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She listened as Vix gave Juice a chirper hello. The smile on her sister's face soon faded and was replaced by a huge frown. "Oh my god! What happened??" Jaci snapped her fingers but Vix waved her away. "What about the kids?" She nodded a few times. "Ok, we will. Ok. I love you, baby. Be careful. Please be careful!"

"What the hell happened, Vix?!" Jaci asked with her heart pounding. The tears welling in her sister's eyes were freaking her out.

Vix looked up and said gravely, "Donna's dead…a drive by shooting. They think maybe the Niners did it. He said to stay inside, lock the doors and don't leave for any reason."

"Drive by? Vix...this is Charming, not Compton, not South Central LA! We do not have drive bys in Charming!"

Vix sniffled and reached over into her bed side nightstand and pulled out her handgun. She glanced back up at Jaci and explained, "Just in case."

**

Vix yawned and from where she sat in the recliner looked over at her sister, passed out on the sofa. The rapid fire discussion between the sisters after Juice's call about Donna had quickly moved from her room to their current location in the living room. Jaci had wanted to go help anyway she could, Jaci was no good with idle hands, but Vix had been able to impress upon her that perhaps _just this once_ The Parker sisters had ought to do what they were told…which was to stay right where they were. Vix closed her eyes and tried not to think about all the bad things that keep happening around her. She was just about asleep when she heard Juice's Harley pull into the driveway. Standing, she stretched and walked over and covered Jaci with the blanket from the back of the sofa then headed out to the garage through the kitchen. She hit the control button on the garage door and stood there watching as Juice parked his bike.

When he turned towards her the devastation and sadness in his eyes almost overwhelmed her. She went to take a step in his direction but the look he shot her stopped her. "How are things?" she asked.

"Things are... " He ran his hand over his head, "they're about as fucked up as they can get. I- I can't even begin to understand how things got to this point." He shook his head. "I know that this is the life we chose and the life we lead, but Opie's wife is dead... gunned down in cold blood on a quiet street in her own neighborhood, blocks from… from all of us, with ironically enough probably a gun _we_ sold the bastards."

He stopped and looked at Vix for moment. "And I love Opie and I am devastated that his wife is dead but when I found out that you and Jaci left the party at the same time as Donna…it hit me that, th-that coulda been you laying dead in the street. I.. I'm not glad that she is dead... I'm just glad you're not. And I feel like shit for thinking like that. What does that make me?" Juice asked her with tears in his eyes.

"Human! Baby, it makes you HUMAN!" Vix closed the space between them in five steps and wrapped her arms around him. "Listen to me, we're gonna get through this ok. We just need to calm down and just breathe, ok? Look, thinking like that doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you human. I would be thinking and thankful for the same damn thing if Opie had been shot, knowing that you were out riding around."

"It's not the same thing, Vix." He pulled away from her. "If something happened to me and it was club related, I would have brought that on myself... but I can't even deal with the _thought_ of something happening to you because you're with me."

"Then don't! Don't think about it." Vix backed up from him so she could look into his eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid? That I have blinders on? I knew what I was getting into with you. I am here, _with you_, because I want to be. Do you forget who you are hooked up with here? _Crazy-ass Vix Parker_, I do not run _from_ trouble... I run _towards _it. What has happened to Donna is a tragedy and not a normal thing that happens... but we are gonna get through this and things are gonna settle down." She touched his face and smiled, trying to make him feel better, "Hell sooner or later we're gonna have to stir up trouble just to keep from going crazy from boredom... ok?"

Vix watched Juice closely as he digested her words.

"I'm gonna go for a ride, clear my head." He muttered and turned, getting back on his bike. Vix nodded and turned not only to hit the garage door button for him but also to hide the look of disappointment on her face at his leaving. "Grab your helmet and come on." He called out after her.

She bit down on her lip to stop herself from squealing aloud with delight or sobbing with relief and happiness, she was equally apt to do either at that moment. She went and retrieved her helmet and jacket and closed the garage up. She walked out to the driveway where he was waiting for her and climbed on the back of his bike.

**

Tig made it home just after midnight. All of the guys had stayed at the crime scene until the cops had opened up the street again. Some of the guys went to the clubhouse but Tig had been barely holding his shit together as it was and headed for his house. He grabbed a bottle of booze as soon as he walked through the door and chugged as much as he could before he started to choke. He stood in his kitchen and waited for the alcohol to hit him, it didn't take long.

He weaved down the hall after a while and stood in front of the bathroom mirror as he thought of the night's events and stared at his reflection. _How are you ever going to fix this? How can you ever look Opie in the eye again? Hell, how can you ever look at Jaci again? She's gonna know what you did. She'll right through you…EVERYONE is going to see right through you! You stupid fucking idiot! Who the fuck are you trying to kid? You're nothing but a goddamn black hearted, soulless piece of shit. A goddamn fuck up! _His frustration, self hate, and pain boiled over and Tig grabbed the medicine cabinet, slamming his head into it to twice to smash his reflection. He stumbled out of the bathroom, drunk and bleeding and slid along the hallway wall, finally making it into his bedroom.

Tig slumped down on the edge of the bed and took another long pull from the bottle of Jack Daniels. He sat leaned over with his elbows on his knees, feet on the floor, staring at his hands…the hands of a heartless killer. He zoned out, only moving to get another drink. Later his cellphone began ringing. It rang a few times before he actually registered the noise and blinked. His eyes came to focus on the pool of blood on the floor between his boots as he pulled his phone out; his forehead had been dripping blood onto the carpet for quiet some time. The now empty bottle of booze had fallen to the floor as well.

Tig rose up slightly and pulled the phone from the back pocket of his jeans. He didn't bother to check the caller id, just flipped open the phone and hoarsely answered, "Yeah." He frowned and blinked a few times to try and knock the cobwebs from his head but they were whiskey soaked and wouldn't budge.

"Hey. It's me." Jaci said in a sleepy voice. The sound of Juice's bike and the garage door had awoken her. She had checked her cell and saw how late it was and decided to try to check in with Tig. "Are you…"

"I can't talk right now." Tig replied simply. He flipped the phone shut and hung up on her then tossed the phone onto the floor. He felt a slow trickle of blood slide down his face and wiped it away absently then went back to staring at the floor again.

**

In the long hours of night, the members of SAMCRO found themselves in very different positions than that morning. Jax had sent Gemma home and ended up seeking comfort in the arms of Wendy while his girlfriend slept alone across town. Piney had spent the morning with a junkie hooker but spent the night being consoled by the most unlikely source, his ex-wife Mary. Chibs and Half Sack sat drinking at the clubhouse, although no party raged around them this time. Gemma held Clay's hand as they grieved the loss of Donna, although Gemma was suspicious that Clay was a bit more upset than he should be.

Opie sat in the bedroom floor at his house, tears pouring down his face in grief over his murdered wife. He tried to be quiet so he didn't wake his two children who had finally fallen asleep in the bed behind him. Tig sat unmoving on his bed unable to get Donna's dead face out of his drunken head. A few miles away, Jaci crawled into her bed alone, tossing her cell on the bedside table. Anyone she wanted to talk to was busy, sleeping, or emotionally closed off. Juice and Vix were parked at the scenic overlook north of town even though the park had technically closed at 10pm. He stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist, both staring off into the same direction.

_**To be continued…one more chapter to go!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 6-Brilliant Disguise**

**The Season 1 Finale of the Parker Girl Saga**

**By BG and Reaper**

**

After coming back from a morning ride to clear his head, Jax stopped off to see how Opie was coping with the horrors from the previous night. He walked through the Winston's front door and stood without moving for a moment. The last time he had seen the house it had been packed up, full of boxes ready for Donna to leave Opie. Now the house was seemingly back to normal, complete with knickknacks and family photos on the shelves in the living room.

Jax watched as Mary put the final touches on a small buffet of food in the kitchen. He walked over to her. "Hey, Mary." She was silent but nodded hello. "The house looks good."

"Those Parker girls are something, huh? Unpacked and fixed up the whole house, put together all this food along with the neighbors that dropped by to help. Christ knows I am about useless."

She started to break down so Jax reached out to hug her and she collapsed into his arms. Whatever their past issues were none of that mattered now. "It's good you're here."

Mary nodded and wiped her tears away. "Yeah, just sorry it had to be…" She started to well up again.

"None of that matters." Jax soothed. "Where's he?"

"Out back with the kids."

Jax nodded and then headed out to the backyard to talk to Opie.

**

**Earlier that morning…**

Jaci's alarm clock roared to life at 6am. The radio function kicked in and Bruce Springsteen's voice flooded her room. She rolled onto her back and listened as the last of the song played.

_So when you look at me, you better look hard and look twice  
Is that me baby or just a brilliant disguise?  
_

She had listened to that very song many times on the back deck with Tig and smiled slightly as she hit the snooze button to shut the radio off. She stared at her ceiling and let her mind drift from happier thoughts of Tig to him hanging up on her last night. Last night…she had hoped it was all a bad dream but it wasn't. She thought of Opie and the pain he and the kids must be feeling now. She frowned as she realized that people would be flooding Opie's house to pay their respects…a house that she last saw to be full of boxes and disarray. She sat bolt upright in bed and grabbed her phone.

**Across town, at that same moment…**

Amid the current act of what had been a long night of emotional reconnect and comfort through... well, _fuckin' each other's brains out_, Vix laid with her head back on the pillow, thoroughly enjoying the slow and steady climb to what was promising to be an orgasm to tip the Richter Scale. Suddenly a cell phone on the bedside table began buzzing loudly. When she felt Juice pause, as if he was considering interrupting their _fun _to answer the damn phone, she swept the tabletop with her one hand sending the intrusive device flying to the floor. With her other hand, she reached down and lovingly tapped Juice on the top of his head while moaning, "Mmmm, voice mail, baby. Don't you even think of fuckin' stoppin'." She sneaked a peek down at the sight of his _bolts_ between her thighs and just like always that image was enough to send her cascading over the top into techno-color happiness.

'_Hey its Vix… you obviously didn't reach me but why doncha leave a message and I'll holler back at ya in a bit. Later!' BEEP!!!! _

After leaving a quick _call me_ message, Jaci decided to send a text as well, knowing her sister was way more prone to reply to a text than a voice mail.

**

From its new location on the floor in the corner, Vix's cell phone emitted a chirping sound signaling she had a voice mail. A minute later, Mr. T's voice emanated from the phone saying _'Text message, muthafuka!' _Vix groaned, "What the fuck? Is the world ending?"

Juice rolled over, stretching and mumbled, "Well if it is, we'll both die happy at least." He yawned and laid his head back on the pillow and smiled at her.

She grinned at him, "You _look_ happy."

"I am happy… and very tired."

She curled up next to him with a smile, "Sleep, pretty baby." As her phone chimed a message reminder, she rolled out of bed adding, "while I go see what the dire fuckin' emergency is."

Swooping down and retrieving her phone, she headed into the bathroom. She flipped open the phone and punched in the code to retrieve messages. Both were from her sister, advising her that _it was not an emergency but to call her back ASAP, she needed her!_

After calling to confer with her sister regarding the _non-emergency_, Vix walked back into the bedroom to find Juice passed out, snoring softly. She nudged him gently saying,

"Baby, the call was from Jaci. I gotta go help her with something real important."

He yawned, "Ok, I'll drive you home."

"You go back to sleep. Jaci is just gonna swing by here and pick me up, k?"

He nodded and yawned and tugged her down to him for a quick kiss before falling back asleep.

**28 minutes later…**

Jaci's Mustang pulled into the parking lot at Bryony Garden Apartments. Vix, who'd been waiting outside, walked over and got into the car. Jaci looked over at her sister with a critical eye, "You look like shit, man."

Vix yawned, "Gee Thanks! I was half-fallin' asleep on Henry's lounge chair waitin' on your ass." She yawned again, "Sorry, I am so fuckin' exhausted, man... my eyelashes are tired."

Jaci rolled her eyes. "Ok this is NOT a request for illicit details but is this exhaustion medical or um, err, recreational?"

"Mostly recreational." Vix grinned.

Jaci nodded, thinking to herself, _that's what I thought_. "So I am guessin' you and Juice are back to being _**ok.**_"

"Yeah, we're solid." Vix nodded. "Went for a bike ride, had a long talk in the park, then came home and well, ya know."

"Yeah, I get it. Oh, I grabbed you a pair of jeans and a t-shirt." Jaci nodded towards the backseat.

Vix looked back and smiled like a starving man would at seeing cake. "Oooh, clean clothes! You rock!" She unbuckled her seatbelt and effortlessly slipped into the back seat and began changing.

Jaci shook her head, "Ya know for being practically a gimp, you're surprisingly agile this morning."

Vix laughed as she tugged the t-shirt over her head. "Last night helped the ol' flexibility factor."

Jaci groaned. "I said no details!" She continued to navigate the streets of Charming and was just pulling onto Opie's street when Vix slid back into the front seat. "I am not even gonna mention how talented you are at dressing and undressing in the backseat of a car."

"Good!" Vix laughed. "Cause I got no good excuse for it 'cept for _practice makes perfect_. HA! I never claimed to be a full-on angel."

Jaci stared at her sister as she put the car in park in front of The Winston house. "Yeah, your horns hold up your halo, chica."

A sudden gloomy silence descended upon them as they sat in the car staring at the house. After a few moments Jaci looked over at Vix. "Your game face on?"

Vix nodded. "Let's do this."

They both walked up to the front door and knocked. It took a while but the door was opened to reveal an understandably rough lookin' Opie. Without a word spoken, Opie just stepped aside and let the sisters inside. He then turned and headed back down the hall towards his room.

The sisters sighed simultaneously and then got to the task at hand.

**

The Sons gathered round the table with two seats now empty…Bobby's and Opie's. The mood was somber as Jax informed everyone that there was no viewing and Donna's funeral would be the next day. Clay ordered Juice to get as many members down for the funeral as possible. Again a heavy silence filled the room as the guys thought about the violence of the previous night. Clay finally broke the silence as he took responsibility for Donna's death. Well, he took responsibility for setting up the ignorant deal with the Niners and the Mayans that had went so horribly wrong which had _supposedly_ led to the drive by that had accidentally killed Donna. Only Clay and Tig knew better.

Piney quickly began pushing for immediate retaliation against the Niners. As the old man's voice rose, Juice leaned over the table practically putting his head on it. He didn't even want to imagine the pain that Opie was feeling this morning, just the thought of losing Vix like that made Juice sick to his stomach.

Clay listened to Piney for a moment but knew he had to put the brakes on any retribution. "Look brother, I know what you're feeling…but we need to wait."

Piney slammed his hand on the table causing Juice to jerk in surprise. The old man yelled in defiance. "Don't tell me what I'm feeling! If that had been Gemma there'd be..."

Clay tried to cut off he old man again. Piney glared at him. "Don't interrupt me, I wasn't done talkin'. I don't know what we are waitin' for. We help Opie by settlin' the score sooner rather than later. If this had happened to one of the Parker girls…" Piney leveled his eyes on Tig and Juice, one at a time as he spoke. "…if it was Jaci or Vix lay dead in that street, three-quarters the state of Alabama'd be en route." He looked directly into Clay's eyes. "If this had happened to YOUR family, SIX charters would be halfway to Oakland by now…"

Tig kept his eyes on the table as Piney's words hit him hard. The old man was right, if Jaci had been killed by a rival gang, he would have set out on a murderous rampage immediately, hell probably as soon as he had seen her body. But Piney didn't realize the revenge he sought was against his own brothers sitting in the room with him. Tig blinked slightly and made himself feel every ounce of Piney's pain and hatred; he deserved it… after all, he had caused it.

The mention of Vix specifically being killed was too much for Juice. He had been playing those what if scenarios in his head off and on all night. Having someone actually say it aloud tipped the scales in his head. He felt a rush of heat through his body and his heartbeat began to thump loudly in his ears. He couldn't seem to get the mental image that Piney had painted out of his mind and suddenly felt as if his lungs wouldn't take in enough air. The walls of the room were closing in and his cut felt like it had a strangle hold on him.

The other guys watched as Juice suddenly stood up and bolted from the room.

Clay was momentarily stunned by Juice's sudden exit but continued. "This _did_ happen in MY family."

"No it didn't! Niners came gunnin' for MY son… killed MY daughter-in-law… I got grandkids ain't got no Mom. You got that? You got that kind of hole in your family?" Welling up with emotions and embarrassed by them and at the same time realizing that this score was not gonna get settled unless he did it himself, Piney abruptly stormed out of the chapel.

Jax nodded after getting a look from Clay, "I got it."

The others finished the meeting and adjourned. Clay and Tig walked out of the room together. There was no sign of Piney but Juice was sitting at the bar with his head in his hands.

Clay quickly covered the distance to the bar and boomed, "What the HELL was that?!"

Juice looked up meekly and nervously at his President. He knew he was in some serious trouble for barging out of the meeting. He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Clay. He started talking about what if it was Vix and I ...I just sort of lost it. I've been thinkin' that exact same thing and hearin' someone else say it … I'm sorry."

"This is a hard time....for everybody. Everyone's going crazy with the '_what if's_'." Clay replied. He jabbed a finger at Juice. "Pull your shit together!" Clay smacked Juice upside the back of the head for emphasis. "And don't you EVER disrespect your brothers like that again!"

As Clay stomped off, Juice looked over at Tig who had been surprisingly silent thus far. Juice rubbed the back of his head and cocked an eyebrow at Tig. "What? No Tig two-cents to add?"

Tig slowly shook his head. He was in no mood to fuck with the kid. "Nah, the fact that you thought I would chew your ass means I have influence enough, man." He clapped Juice softly on the back and headed out of the clubhouse after Clay.

**

Vix walked past the counter when the phone began ringing. She glanced around and neither Mary nor Opie were anywhere to be found. No one else seemed in a rush to answer the phone either. She was about to just walk on by and let the machine pick up but when it did Donna's recorded voice could be heard, "_You've reached __The Winstons. W__e're not available right now...._ "

Vix glanced over at the three other girls in the kitchen who were all staring at the machine, all looking about as creeped out as she was feeling at hearing Donna's voice. Vix spotted Kenny walking down the hall and automatically reached out and picked up the phone if to do nothing but save the boy and honestly herself from hearing Donna seemingly talk from the grave. "Hello, Winston residence." She said solemnly into the phone. "Vix speaking."

******

"That doesn't sound good." Clay replied.

"It's not. U.S. Attorney is releasing details on the witness at five o'clock. At 5:01, ATF presents its case against Opie Winston for Hefner's murder. They're going to bring him in for a line up. From what the prosecution has shared, he probably won't be going back home.

"Jesus Christ!" Jax muttered.

"What do we know?" Tig asked, not bothering to wait for Clay to pose the question.

"It's an eye witness; probably a resident of the housing complex. They offered WITPRO, means they've got him in lockdown." Rosen informed the group.

"Opie buries his wife tomorrow." Clay reminded.

"I'll drag my feet; see that they don't pick him up too early. I'm sorry." Rosen said then added an octave quieter. "I'll have my office call you about the retainer?"

"Yeah, ok. Thanks" Clay said as he and the group walked towards the garage leaving the lawyer standing there. Rosen took the hint and climbed back into his car.

Standing in the garage bay, Clay said, "Their whole case against Bobby and Opie is that witness, without him they got nothing."

"So we got to get to him." Tig added with a nod.

"You mean kill him?" Juice questioned hesitantly.

Tig stared at him matter-of-factly. "He's a rat. Rats deserve to die. End of story."

The guys all looked at each other, taking in what was being said in essence. All nodded in agreement.

"WITPRO means safe house; 24/7 protection." Jax said.

"That's a dead end." Chibs replied.

"That can't be!" Clay barked. "If Opie goes back to prison, what happens to his kids? The state won't give 'em to Piney or Mary. They'll end up in the system."

"Shit!" Jax muttered.

"And lets not forget about Bobby. He got ID'd cause he had to clean up Op's mistake." Tig reminded.

Silence abounded while they all took in the weight of the situation. Jax finally spoke up, "We got to do this before the funeral. Op's family can't take another hit."

"Agreed." Clay said.

"Maybe Trammel can help. If the safe house is in San Joaquin they probably got sheriffs on it." Jax offered.

Clay nodded towards Juice. "Call Happy. Odds are one of his smiley face tats is for a dead witness."

Juice nodded and walked off as Jax's cell phone rang. After listening to Half-Sack explain where he had followed Piney, he advised The Prospect to watch the old man's back til they got there and he and Chibs headed Oakland.

Clay nodded to Tig, "Let's go find Trammel."

**

Rosen was still a bit unsettled by his uncharacteristic in-person stop by Teller Morrow. He usually hated to be seen in town with the Sons, much preferring a neutral location to discuss business but he had made an exception this time due to the life changing natural of the info he had. He held no illusions as to what the Sons were probably planning right this moment. He would be surprised if there was a witness by tomorrow morning. Hopefully Clay would settle up on his retainer by morning as well.

Rosen was headed back to Oakland, driving down Charming's main street when he happened to glance over at the parking lot of the local grocery store. He saw a good looking woman carrying out an armful of groceries and stared at her for a moment before he realized it was Jaci Parker. He smiled and slowed down, pulling into the lot.

He pulled into the parking space next to her Mustang and rolled down his window. "Hey there!"

Jaci glanced over at the black Mercedes with a frown. _Damnit, I don't have time for some rich asshole to be hitting on me._ _I've got shit to do…these tortilla rollups aren't going to make themselves! _She took a closer look and saw Rosen's smiling face. She instantly returned his smile as he stepped out his car. "Hey yourself, Jason."

"Here let me get that." Rosen took the two bags of groceries from her and held them as she popped open the trunk of her car. He placed them inside and leaned against the back of her car.

"Thank you. Guess you probably heard about Opie's wife?" She nodded to the groceries. "We've been helping out over at his place. People will be paying their respects…have to feed them." She cocked her head as she slipped on her sunglasses. "What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"

"Well, paying my respects about Opie's… um…misfortune." Rosen shook his head. "That's a horrible thing. Are you ok?"

Jaci nodded. "We're all upset. We had just spent half the night with Donna at my nephew's coming home party when it happened. But you know…what can you do?"

"Just put one foot in front of the other I guess." Rosen answered and got a nod from Jaci. "Oh, I was updating Clay and the guys about Bobby's case too."

Jaci's cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and whispered '_excuse me'_ to Rosen before reading the text from Vix. _Why do you always get the gravy assignments? _

Jaci frowned and typed back a quick response. _WHAT? Do we need gravy__?_ She hit send and glanced up at Rosen. "Sorry. How is Bobby's doing?"

"As well as can be expected; I'm pulling out every trick in the book to help him." Rosen shrugged and then looked her over and asked, "How well do you know Bobby?"

Jaci smiled and explained. "Pretty well…with my sister and Juice being together, the guys are over at the house all the time. Bobby and I have bonded over a few mutual interests…music, cooking and whatnot."

Rosen nodded and thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess most of the guys are… nice enough. Juice is he the one with the… the um…" He made motions towards his head, "Tattoos on his head?"

She nodded as her cell phone buzzed again. Vix's reply read, _No gravy and NEVER answer a dead woman's phone! Not ever!!_Jaci shook her head and glanced at Rosen. "Sorry, I have to call my sister." Jaci hit the speed dial and waited for her sister to answer. "Hey…What are you goin' on about? Gravy and dead women and phones??"

Rosen was trying not to listen but that odd sentence caught his attention.

On the other line Vix teased her sister. "You will never guess what I'm doin."

Jaci smiled and mouthed _I'm sorry_ to Rosen. "Probably not, so why not save us both time and just tell me."

"Well if you really want to know, I am riflin' thru Donna's closet for something for them to dress her dead body in for burial."

"WHAT?!" Jaci shouted.

"Yeah, no shit, _what_!" Vix replied in a fierce whisper. "Your ass gets to go fetch the ingredients for taco-_whateverthefuck_ and I get to play _Let's Dress the Corpse_. And you know what, Donna had no taste in clothing, God rest her soul... I don't think she's got a thing in here suitable to be buried in."

Jaci took a step away from Rosen. "Seriously, Vix??"

"I am being serious! And it's not like I can ask Opie or Mary what they'd like me to take. I said the _funeral home was on the phone_ and Mary burst into hysterical tears, so I told her I'd handle it."

"Well that was awful nice of you. I'm sure there is something…"

Vix made a tsking sound and started a rant while she stood looking in Donna's closet. "No there ain't. I mean she's got an ass load of jeans, some….my lord, authentic Bobbie Brookes slacks, a dress that looks like it came out of a Robert Palmer video that I can't even imagine her wearing so it must be for like Halloween or something. There's what I am thinkin' was either her wedding dress or a very odd choice in prom dress and that is it. You think maybe I should go buy her something? Don't say yes, please don't cause I have the chills just thinkin' about goin' into a store and asking them to help me pick out something for a dead person to wear. You want to trade odd jobs?"

Jaci was stunned into silence for a moment but then blurted back, "Absolutely not! This one is all you, sister. Welcome to adulthood…responsibility and whatnot. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"You suck!" Vix hollered and then hung up abruptly.

Jaci stared at the phone and then at Rosen who was eyeing her oddly. She smiled and shrugged. "Sisters."

He laughed. "Oh I know… I have three of them." He spied her appearing to be counting down on her fingers, "What are you…?"

Jaci smiled, "I know my sister." She nodded like _watch this. "_Three, two, one..."

Rosen stood stunned as if on cue Jaci's phone began buzzing. Jaci smiled and flipped it open, "Callin' to apologize for hanging up on me?"

"Yeah, whatever sorry. Look you know I ain't vain, well not enough for Carly Simon to write a song about me anyway. But, J… you know how much trouble I have pickin' something out to wear for a DAY let alone for ya know the _Rest of FOREVER_. Speakin' of, you know if tomorrow I get smacked by a bus or somethin', you better dress me in somethin' cute."

Jaci laughed, "Yeah, you better leave very specific instructions written down because the last thing I need is your ghost haunting me because I dressed you in something inappropriate for the _rest of forever_."

"Are you makin' fun of me?" Vix scoffed.

"I am tryin' to cheer you up, now quit stressing. Just pick out something that looks semi- new. Does it really matter since there is no viewing and no one is gonna see it?"

"Good point. Wait…Ruby? Wonder what she is callin' for… Oh, I wonder how she's takin' all this. I better let you go."

"Later." Jaci flipped her phone shut. "Sooo…what were _**we **_talking about?"

"Bobby and the guys." He frowned. "Are you around Tig much?"

Jaci fought back a smile and fibbed. "Not really."

"Weird guy..._angry _guy. I think he sort of hates me but the looks have gotten harsher lately. Not sure why." Rosen stared at the parking lot as he mused on this thought.

She cleared her throat to keep from laughing. "Ehh, Tig's an asshole so there is really no telling what his problem is. I think he's harsh with everyone…don't take too much offense." She smiled, thinking how shocked Rosen would be to find out that she had been seeing Tig for so long and knew him quite well…biblically even. She heard an approaching rumble of bikes and turned her head to watch the road. "Speak of the devil."

Clay, Juice and Tig rolled past on their Dynas and Jaci smiled as Tig craned his neck to look at her and Rosen talking in the parking lot. _That little fucker! In town for fifteen minutes and he manages to find her. Goddamnit. What the fuck are they talking about?_

Rosen watched the Sons drive past then turned his attention back to Jaci. "Hey, when are you going to be in Oakland again?"

Jaci shrugged, "Not sure, it's hit and miss on scheduling."

Rosen nodded. "I know how that goes." He scratched at his neck nervously. "Well, a few of us from the office are starting to go out on Friday nights. You should come along the next time you're in town."

Jaci couldn't think a response and stood frozen for a moment. She blinked. _Did Jason just ask me out?! Well, no…group date…that's different…right? _She had almost blurted out _I can't_ but then stopped short, realizing then she would have to explain that she was seeing someone but again she couldn't exactly explain that very well. She quickly settled on a generic answer. "Oh, well thanks for the invite. Um, we'll see how it all shakes out."

"Great." Rosen smiled widely at her and then jerked a thumb towards his car. "I guess I should be going." He shut the trunk of her car for her and nodded at her. "Give Opie my regards. You be careful around here."

"Will do." Jaci replied with a smile. She gave him a quick wave and got into her car as he did the same. She watched him pull out of the lot and then she headed back to Opie's house. _What a weird out of the blue meeting._

**

Vix pulled Mary's 1999 Oldsmobile P.O.S. to a stop in the parking lot of the Cantelmi Funeral Home. As she sat staring at the building, she tried psyching herself up, wondering how many pep talks it took the average person to make it through a week. She soon shook her head and said aloud to the empty car, _you're far from average Vix, and this ain't been no normal week_. She opened the car door and grabbed the plastic grocery bag that contained the outfit she had selected. She cut a path diagonally across the parking lot, building up her resolve with each step. That resolve lasted until she pushed through the front doors and was hit by the unmistakable smell of death masked by floral fragrance along with that mournful melody montage that was played in every funeral home from Charming to Timbuktu. Suddenly she fought back the urge to chuck the bag at the woman seated behind the huge mahogany desk and dash out of there as quick as her feet would take her.

The woman must have read the distraught look on Vix's face. She shot a smile that Vix guessed was to put her at ease but in her case caused the exact opposite to happen. "May I help you?" The woman inquired.

Vix walked up to the desk and plopped the bag of clothes down on it. "Hi. I am droppin' these off for Donna Winston." The little voice in her head congratulated her _see there ya go and it almost sounded like you were on an errand for a living, breathing person_ - _ Vix shut up!_ Vix thought to herself,_Shit, did I just reprimand my own self? Geez, I am losing my damn mind._

The woman stood up, looking Vix up and down and eyeing her disapprovingly. "May I?" She motioned towards the bag.

Vix nodded, "Sure knock yourself out." She watched as the woman opened the bag and studied its contents. She looked up at Vix with a look that bordered on sympathy and not the kind offered because she lost someone dear. She smiled a smile that made Vix's skin crawl and said, "If you'll excuse me for a moment or two."

Taking the bag with her, the woman disappeared through a set of double doors leaving Vix alone in the over decorated lobby with its floral death aroma and creepy music. S_houlda chucked and run, Vix. Shoulda chucked and run. _She stood there waiting and started getting very antsy. _Oh for fuck's sake, stop fidgeting!_

Ten minutes later, which to Vix felt like 10 _years_, the woman resurfaced accompanied by a dour-faced man in an expensive suit who thrust the bag of clothes at her. "These clothes will not do. You'll have to return with more suitable attire."

Vix's mouth dropped open and she locked the brakes on her first reply of _A__re you fucking kidding me_ and responded a resounding "WHAT!?!"

"These clothes," he eyed the bag with unveiled contempt," will not do for our purposes. I assume that something more appropriate can be found and brought in."

Vix scoffed, "Well you assume WRONG. Look, do you realize that it took me damn near 45 minutes to find that outfit?"

The man shot her a look that let Vix know in no uncertain terms that it didn't really matter to him how Vix spent her time, as long as she wasn't wasting his - which was what he deemed her to be doing at present.

The woman seemed to sense Vix's struggle for self control and interjected, "Sweetie, the process of preparing the body for burial requires certain procedures that would make these low cut garment you brought us inappropriate and too revealing and well unadvisable to use."

Vix threw up her hands. "Revealing to who? There's no viewing. Who's gonna see what she is wearing? Those clothes hung in her closet with the tags still on 'em. She bought them, planned on wearing them someday… and well _**someday**_** is NOW!**_"_

The man and woman exchanged a glance.

Vix's cell phone vibrated and she retrieved it from her jeans pocket, saw it was Juice and flipped it open, "Hi baby, give me just a minute." She looked up and leveled a glare at the man and woman, "And another thing, SWEETIE, she's not just some _**body**_, she's Donna Winston, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend and a young woman who's life was cut way too short by a horrendous act of violence. She is not just some body on a steel table or in a pine box. She mattered ... still does... to a lot of damn people, you got that? Huh?"

Vix turned on her heel and started towards the door. She made it three strides before the man cleared his throat and said, "We don't need the shoes, they are not required for burial."

Vix turned around and stared at the two, "Fuck you! Put 'em on her and the clothes too, and don't put it past me to pop open that casket and see what y'all dressed her in." She said and turned back around, pushing the doors open and walking out into the sunlight and fresh air. Only then did she realize her open cell phone was still in her hand. She put it to her ear and heard an alarmed Juice on the other end of the line...

"Vix?" Juice said through the phone. "Vix?"

"Shit baby, sorry, forgot you were waiting." Vix replied startled and apologetic.

"What the fuck is all of that about? Where are you?" Juice questioned.

Vix smirked. "The 5th ring of Hell. And you? What are you doin?"

Juice chuckled, "Rackin' up possible felony charges."

Vix climbed back into Mary's car. "That's lovely and very ambitious of you, why waste your energy on petty misdemeanors, hmm?"

"This isn't by choice, Vix."

"I know that, I am trying to make light of this all around fucked up situation, baby. It's the only way I am able to cope at this point. Are you truly ok, though?"

"Yeah, hang on a sec." He said and then must have covered the mouthpiece because all she could hear was muffled voices. "Baby, I gotta go... what's up with Gram?"

"At church this morning she caught wind of an uprising of concerned citizens about last night's violence. Said something about the town counsel is having an emergency meeting tomorrow night. I thought Clay might want to know since The Sons' criminal activity leading to violence in the peaceful streets of Charming will be the main topic of discussion."

She heard Juice's groan and sigh, "Ok, I'll let him know."

"Love you, be careful baby." Vix said into the phone.

"I will, love you back."

Juice shut his phone and walked back into Elliot Oswald's stable office. Elliot hesitantly handed him a slip of paper. "This is the case number?"

Elliot nodded solemnly. "What's Clay planning on doing with that information?"

Juice shrugged, "You'd have to ask him that."

Juice followed Elliot back out to where Clay and Tig were waiting. Juice handed Clay the paper.

Elliot cleared his throat and asked, "What are you gonna do with that information?"

"What did you tell your judge buddy?"

Elliot replied, remorseful for his part in this mess, "That a councilman wanted the information because he didn't want safe houses in his district."

Juice confirmed this with a nod. He'd been present when Elliot phoned for the information only stepping out of the room for a quick minute to make a few calls while they waited for a call back with the case number.

"That's good." Clay replied and turned to walk away, followed by Tig and Juice.

Oswald called out, "What about that knife?"

Clay turned around with a smirk, "Oh, don't worry. It'll be our secret. We'll keep it safe."

Oswald heaved a deflated sigh, knowing he was firmly under the thumb of SAMCRO because of that damming evidence. Clay, Tig and Juice walked away.

Juice cleared his throat, "Ok, apparently Charming is up at arms over Donna's murder and the town council is holdin' an emergency meeting tomorrow night. SAMCRO is the main topic, according to what my Gramma heard at church."

Tig looked alarmed, "Bible study groups and church sewing circles are your sources of intel?"

Juice stared back at him, "In a town fueled by gossip, those ladies are like a golden ticket to information."

Clay sighed. "We'll deal with the citizens of Charming later, anything else?"

"I called Happy on the prepaid; he had an _alarming_ amount of knowledge on witnesses and safe houses."

Clay chuckled. "Of course he did."

The three of them continued walking while Juice fills them in on Happy's wisdom and advice. A plan of attack was formed by clay and Tig.

**

Later that night, Jax walked out of the chapel after trying and failing to get Clay to come clean about his part in Donna's death. He found Juice at the bar looking at his laptop. "You know where Tig is?" Without a doubt Jax knew that Tig would have been Clay's trigger man.

Juice was visibly tweaked and upset but nodded. "Yeah, he's on his way to the safe house."

"What's the matter?" Jax asked as his studied his friend.

Juice looked up at Jax, more than a little unsettled. "The info on that witness just came out…she's a seventeen year old girl, Jax."

"Holy shit." Jax replied, not believing the latest bit of fucked up news.

Jax looked over his shoulder at Clay, who was standing at the entrance to the chapel. It was clear in Clay's face that he had heard the witness news. Clay stared at him, knowing there was no way to bring Donna back but maybe if they followed through Bobby and Opie could still be saved. Jax shook his head at Clay and looked back at Juice. "Where are they?"

Juice reached into the pocket of his cut and pulled out the piece of paper with the safe house address on it. Jax shook off his cut and handed it to Juice and grabbed the address. He stalked toward the exit, ignoring Clay's calls after him. Jax slammed the clubhouse door shut, cutting off Clay's rant.

Clay looked over at Juice. "Get me Tig on the prepaid."

"They went non-comm ten minutes ago."

"Shit!" Clay yelled and grabbed his head with his hands. "SHIT!"

Juice closed his laptop and quietly watched as Clay lost control and threw a chair across the room.

**

Without hesitation, Tig had volunteered to take care of the witness. He felt compelled to try and right some of his wrongs from the previous night. Opie had not ratted but someone was about to and Tig would NOT let that happen; he would protect his brothers and his club.

The storming of the safe house had gone smoothly with no complications but Chibs stood frozen in the bedroom doorway at the back of the house. Tig pushed to the side of him and found himself looking into the very scared eyes of a teenage girl. He glanced at Chibs and both their eyes screamed _Are you fucking kidding me?!_

They quickly covered the girl's face with an ATF t-shirt and secured her hands. Tig had thought killing the witness would make him feel better, like taking out a spineless rat would help even him out somehow. Now he sat wondering how in the hell he was going to be able to kill a kid. Sure she was going to rat on Bobby and Opie but she was just a damn stupid kid, she thought she was doing the _right _thing. Tig stared at the floor, wanting to postpone the evitable. Happy had even volunteered to shoot the girl but Tig wouldn't allow it. He had fumbled one direct order, he wasn't about to let Clay hear that he had chickened out of another. And after his crying jag at the stables earlier that day, Tig need to prove to Clay move than ever that he was solid. He pushed off of the bed and stood up. "No…it's me." He declared quietly.

Tig pulled the girl into the kitchen and pushed her down into a chair. He touched her head with his hand and mumbled _sorry _a few times. How many innocent bodies could he pile on his conscience before he cracked? He leveled his gun at her head and took a deep breath. He had just lightly placed his finger on the trigger when Jax busted through the door nearly giving him a heart attack. After Jax had shouted the comment about not shooting women, Tig knew the vice president had figured out the truth about Donna's death. As Jax rammed his gun against his temple, Tig contemplated if the young VP would pull the trigger or not. He probably _wanted _to but he wouldn't; couldn't leave a bloody DNA fest in the safe house. The Feds would test it, find Tig's DNA and tie it all back to the club, RICO charges would abound…couldn't have that. But he lowered his gun anyway, no need to spit in the eye of fate.

Tig was oddly calm as Jax told Chibs and Happy to clear out. But then he watched in shock as Jax let the young witness take a good look at them. _Stupid fucker! _Hopefully Jax's threat of hunting her down if she ratted would be enough.

"You just crossed the line, brother." Tig warned. He waited to see what Jax would do next. Would he scream and yell and threaten? The answer was an elbow to the face. They fought viciously and reigned punches down on each other. Tig fought back only enough to try to keep his guilt about Donna from being obvious. He took each punch from Jax head on, knowing that a punch was better than what he deserved for what he had done. Afterwards, as he laid on the floor of the safe house bleeding and hurting he wondered how long it would be before he found himself a victim of an 'unfortunate accident' or an outright assassination; there was no way Jax would let him off with just a beating.

**

The next morning Vix found herself once again standing in front of a closet struggling with clothing choices. This time it was her own closet and she was fumbling for what to wear to Donna's funeral. Jaci rolled her eyes as she paused in front of her sister's door and heard the distinct sound of hangers dragging along a closet rod and Vix talking to herself. _"Nope... nada… ooh that one is pretty... wait, funeral Vix... focus!"_ Jaci knocked hard on the bedroom door and hollered. "Hurry it up, Vix. I have no plans on being late to my own or anyone else's funeral!"

"Five minutes!" Vix yelled at the closed door.

When Vix emerged eight minutes later, Jaci took in her sister's attire. Vix stood clad in a black skirt, the length a bit short for a funeral in Jaci's opinion, but at least the black stockings and calf-high boots detracted from the skirt's length. Vix wore a black, light-weight knit poncho over a black tank top. "Well, at least it's black."

Vix looked down at what she was wearing. "What? It looks respectable. I had a hard time with this. We don't all outfits like _that_." She motioned towards Jaci's black slacks, and ¾ sleeved blouse covered with a grey and black swirly design.

Jaci shook her head slightly. "It's fine, besides, it's not like people are gonna focus on your attire when the hair is a bigger shock."

"Why what's wrong with it?" Vix tentatively touched her re-done hair. "It's very sedate…ed."

"Precisely." Jaci nodded. "Sweetie, people aren't expecting sedate outta you. When we got to town you were sportin' white spikey hair then you up and went with the Easter-egg pink look. The black is... well..."

"Sedate...ed." Vix offered up again.

"Yeah, we'll go with that. And why do you keep saying that like its two words? It's _sedated_. Period." She noticed a look in her sister's eyes. "It's a great gesture sis, to dye your hair to show respect for the dead... a bit extreme, but..."

"You know in some cultures they shave off their hair when someone dies."

"Yeah well, let's leave that to THEM and the head shaving to Juice, hmmm? Speaking of… has he… you know, seen the new do?"

Vix nodded. "Umm hmm. I stopped by the clubhouse to check on him last night. He was having such a bad day… tried to cheer him up but then Happy and Chibs showed up and I exited post haste. Those boys were more than a bit unhinged, but anyway he says he likes it... sorta dark and mysterious."

Jaci paused on her way out the door. "Sorta dark? It's Midnight damn Black. How much darker does he think hair can get?"

"I don't think he was talkin' the shade as much as the _tone_ of it." Vix explained.

Jaci eyed her sister. "_The tone of hair_?? You know I'd love to be a fly on the wall during one of y'alls conversations. On second thought maybe NOT, I'd likely propel myself into the nearest bug zapper."

**

As she shifted her car into neutral and pulled the brake, Jaci groaned slightly. Vix glanced at her sister. "What?"

She just nodded up the road where Wendy and Gemma were getting out of Gemma's car and heading toward the grave site. "Our little phone spat and your apology call got me thinkin' that we both need to make up with Wendy."

It was Vix's turn to groan as Jaci continued. "Jax is right; she needs our love and support. Such as it is... do we really want her strugglin' with this thinking everyone on the planet hates her?"

Vix scoffed. "Well if she does then she is dumb 'cause everyone on the planet doesn't even _**know**_ her."

"Vix! I am being serious." Jaci scolded as she slapped at her sister's arm, who was laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised if there is a pool going on to see how long it is until she falls off the wagon again... and likely another for if she makes it back on." Jaci sighed. "She's our blood, even as polluted as hers can be from time to time. I am askin' you to do this for me. "

"I guess you're right, ok fine." Vix sighed too. "When does the _Kumbaya _meeting take place?"

"I'm thinking tonight. We can have her come over after we make appearances at Op's."

"But Juice and I have plans."

Jaci rolled her eyes. "The booty call can wait... this will only take an hour or two."

"Please, it's not a booty call... well at least not at first. We have plans with Ruby. Do you know Henry Darling is turnin' the big EIGHT- OH?! She and Ms. Sadie are plannin' a party which will piss Henry off for sure, he hates a fuss. But crap, man... living' to be 80 is HUGE!!! I sure as hell don't think I'll make it that long."

"We're at a funeral Vix, don't really know if this is the time or place for longevity talks. So, can you meet with Ruby later? This Wendy thing is real important."

"Maybe we ought to do it like tomorrow night – the Wendy thing. I know you… it will not be a quick round of _sorrys _and stuff, it will drag on and on and today is gonna be emotional as is."

"Tonight… tomorrow, which ever… but it is getting done. You hear me?"

"Ok, ok!" Vix stared down the road and a smile played at her lips. "But does this mean I have to give up my spot on the _fallin' off the wagon_ _pool_?"

Jaci shrugged. "Depends on what block you got." The sisters smiled at each other and then both sighed as they stepped out of the car and headed to the graveside to bury Donna.

******

Mostly female mourners were scattered in groups on the outskirts of the gravesite; the Sons were escorting Donna's hearse from the funeral home en masse and had not arrived yet. Vix spotted Gemma up ahead standing with Mary who had an arm around Ellie and Kenny. She tapped Jaci's arm and jerked her head toward the Winstons and headed their direction. Jaci spotted Wendy in a group of women smoking just alongside one of the roads running through the cemetery.

Jaci and Wendy stared at each other for a moment, each trying to gauge the mood of the other. They had not spoken much since the night of Abel's party. Jaci finally smiled and rolled her eyes as she pulled Wendy into a hug. _Enough already; just put the bullshit on hold for a bit. _While still holding her older sister, Jaci whispered, "Can you drop by the house tomorrow night?"

Wendy pulled away and frowned. "Yeah…why?" Jaci raised her eyebrows as if to say _you know why. _Wendy just nodded, knowing there were some serious conversations to be had with her sisters. "What time?"

"I have to work tomorrow so around six." Jaci replied. She glanced over to where Vix stood with Gemma and Mary and then looked back at Wendy. "Let's get this over with."

**

The women heard the funeral motorcade before they saw it. A deep rumbling started to fill the cemetery and they all turned their heads to watch. It was quite an awesome sight as the continuous line of around fifty bikes wound its way through the narrow cemetery roads. There was something very powerful and respectful about the line of bikes, like they were all helping to carry Donna to her final resting place and would rain Hell down upon anyone that tried to stop the process. All three Parker sisters couldn't help but to think back to the last time they had seen such a motorcade; it had been a few years earlier when their father had died.

The bikers parked their rides along both sides of the cemetery road and then joined the other mourners. Jaci had been talking with Lowell but locked her eyes again on Tig as he climbed off of his bike and exchanged a few words with Clay. The pair then headed straight toward her and Gemma as Lowell wandered off. Jaci had not seen Tig since the night of Donna's death and frowned slightly as he got closer to her. _Is that a cut on his forehead? _She suddenly found herself anxious to talk to him, to touch him. She had hugged probably fifteen people already that day; surely he could blend right into the mix. She waited to catch his attention, he was walking toward her but staring off in the distance or at least she thought so, it was hard to tell with his sunglasses hiding his eyes. She took a step backwards as Clay nodded hello to her and then wrapped Gemma in an embrace. Tig suddenly pulled up short and turned his back to her. Jaci was about to just throw caution to the wind and go to him when Piney tapped her on her shoulder.

Jaci whipped her head around, surprised to see Piney. He held out his arms and she hugged him. "Thank you for helping out so much. We appreciate it." He whispered.

"We're here as long as you need us." Jaci replied. They exchanged a few more words and then Piney left to be with Opie and Mary and the kids. Jaci turned back around but Tig was no where to be found.

**

Vix saw Juice approaching and excused herself from the group to walk over to him. "Hey baby." She said quietly and hugged him. As she pulled back from the hug she noticed what he was wearing. "What the hell are you…a tee-shirt? Juice! It's a funeral!"

He shrugged and rubbed his head with his hand, his token nervous tick "At least it is black, right? The only dress shirt I own is white. I had that on with these black pants but I looked like a fuckin' waiter."

Vix bit her lip at the utterly _not used to this shit_ look on Juice's face and quickly hugged him again, "It'll be ok."

He gave her a half-grin. She'd take that and be happy for it. Juice's silly grin was what first captured her interest and then her heart. On a good day his smile could light up her world, on a great day he shone like neon in her eyes… on a day like this, after all that had went down, even a half-grin from Juice was like a beacon to her.

Chibs came over to them and patted Juice on the back and gave Vix a quick hug. Juice took Vix's hand and they followed Chibs and Half Sack over to the grave side and stood with the group of other mourners.

**

It finally dawned on Jaci that Jax was missing as everyone started to take their places for the graveside service. She thought she might have just missed him in the procession and that he might be out talking to the members of other charters but that wasn't the case. His place should have been right next to Opie but he was no where to be found.

As with all funerals, there was a hierarchy and order to where people sat. Opie and his kids sat on the front row with Piney and Mary. Gemma sat on the front row as well with Wendy to her left and Clay standing behind her. Tig was standing next to Clay but every time Jaci tried to catch his eye he would look away. He had taken off his sunglasses and she could see that he had a bruised cheek as well. _Odd time to be getting in a fight. _Jaci thought but then thought perhaps the club had already gotten its revenge for Donna's death and there had been a scuffle.

Chibs, Half Sack, Juice and Vix were standing in a group, in the front row, on the opposite side of the grave. Jaci started to make her way to them to stick by Vix's side both for moral support and to potentially play referee since Tara had appeared at that end as well. She stopped for a second as she watched Vix give up her seat and motioned for Tara to sit down instead. _What the hell?_

Mary reached out and grabbed Jaci's hand as she tried to pass. Jaci looked down at the mourning woman in surprise. Mary glanced to the empty seat at her right side. She had become very fond of the Parker sisters in the two days she had known them and even though Piney was sitting next to her, she thought she could use a female hand to hold. "Could you…?"

Jaci blinked, a bit stunned by her request, but then quickly nodded and sat down next between her and Wendy. She glanced over at Vix who just nodded her complete understanding.

Tig now stood directly behind Jaci trying to calm himself down. He had been alright for most of the morning, even during the procession ride from the funeral home, but the longer he stayed at the gravesite, the more the guilt inside of him started to scream again. He had avoided Jaci like the plague but now found himself staring at the back of her head; he just hadn't known what the hell to say to her. Watching her hug and interact with Opie and his family had been heart wrenching for him, knowing he was the sole cause of all of the day's heartbreak.

The funeral proceedings began and suddenly Tig's guilt wasn't the only one flaring. Jaci stared at the casket and held Mary's hand as the poor woman started to cry. Jaci couldn't help but think that if she had done something, _anything_ differently that night of Abel's party, Donna might have made through that night alive. Just a few minutes this way or that might have changed everything.

**

The funeral was reaching its mid point as Jaci turned her head slightly to the left to watch as Jax came walking up to the funeral from the cemetery lawns. With raised eyebrows, she watched as Tara took Jax's cut from Juice and walked it over to Jax. Vix had noticed Juice had been carrying around Jax's cut but had been too busy keeping an eye on Ellie and Kenny to ask why. When Jax and Tara embraced and then kissed, pretty much halting the funeral for a public display of affection, Jaci glanced to her right to watch Wendy's reaction. Wendy had closed her eyes and had her hands balled up in her lap. Jaci reached over and put her hand on top of her sister's fists and squeezed. Wendy opened her eyes and Jaci gave her an apologetic look, _Sorry you had to see that AGAIN_.

Jaci had actually sort of started to like the doctor after talking with her for the few months of Abel's hospital stay. But after the stunt Tara had pulled by kissing Jax at Abel's party in front of everyone and now making out with him again in the middle of a damn funeral, Jaci wanted to punch her. Jaci narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly. _Damn, have some respect. _Tara seemed to be just as bad as Tig at only knowing how to express feelings in a physical manner. These little stunts were a desperate cry for attention in Jaci's opinion. _Give me a break; we KNOW you're with Jax again…enough already…shit._

From his stance behind her, Tig watched Jaci's head swivel between Tara and Wendy and then saw her knee start to bob up and down and he knew she was pissed. He glared at Jax, disbelieving that the punk could be so disrespectful as his best friend buried his wife. Tig gritted his teeth and felt the pain from his bruised check radiate across his face. Jax was sporting a very busted lip. _You'd look a lot worse if I had actually been fighting back you little fucker_. Jax returned his glare and Tig looked over at Clay, locking eyes with his friend. _The little shit KNOWS…_

Gemma took in the events of the funeral from her perch on the front row. She glared at Tara and Jax and wanted to slap both of them for their little stunt and she certainly did not like the look Jax had shot to Clay. There was going to be trouble up ahead, no doubt about it, no matter what Clay said. She glanced down the front row and took stock of everyone's position. There seemed to be a definite split; on one side there was Chibs, Half Sack, Juice and Jax had stood with them for a moment before making his dramatic exit. The other side held only Clay and Tig but Gemma knew Bobby would have been right next to them if he hadn't been in jail. Opie and Piney might have been seated closer to Clay but between the looks exchanged and their history with Jax as well, Gemma held no illusions as to which side the father and son would stake their loyalty. After all, she knew who was at fault for all of this hurt.

There was another interesting split that Gemma noticed…the Parker sisters. Usually Jaci and Vix were damn near inseparable but now they were on opposite sides. Vix, on one side, was holding hands with Juice while Jaci sat closer to Gemma. Granted, Mary had _asked_ Jaci to sit down next to her when she was headed toward her younger sister but Gemma had gotten the distinct feeling that Jaci had _wanted_ to be right where she was, close to Tig. Gemma glanced coolly to her left and saw that Tig now stood with his hands on the back of Jaci's chair, his knuckles white from squeezing it so hard. _Mmmm, Vix and Juice, Jaci and Tig…when push comes to shove, where are those girls going to shake out? You girls siding with your family or with your men?? _Gemma knew Jaci would without a doubt follow her head, which meant she would put family above all else but Vix had a stubborn streak and seemed to be the type to follow her heart…which was currently in Juice's possession.

Vix's eyes were jumping all around during the funeral; over to Ellie and Kenny, trying to gauge how they were doing, to Jaci who was seated entirely too far away, and up the hill a few hundred yards. Jaci saw Vix staring up the hill a few times and knew exactly why…the graves of their parents were in that direction and she knew Vix had to be reliving those funerals at this moment because Jaci caught herself doing the same.

At one point, Jaci and Vix managed to lock eyes with one another and both raised their eyebrows questioningly, _How the hell did we get here… to this place, this juncture, to these decisions in our lives? _Jaci shook her head and wondered what her parents would think of their girls and where they all were…oddly enough all back in Charming. Their daddy had always said he had wanted boys, wanted sons to be in SAMCRO and they had failed him in that respect. But he might have gotten part of his wish, all three of his daughters now sat a few hundred yards away from him, all somehow tied to SAMCRO, no matter how fleeting some of those ties might be. Well, maybe not all was lost, Jaci frowned as another thought dawned on her…Abel…he was the new little prince of the SAMCRO kingdom, would probably grow up to join or even lead the club. His granddaddy JJ would be so damn proud.

**

As the funeral came to a close, Jaci felt Tig brush his hand along her shoulders and she closed her eyes, savoring the physical contact from him, however small. She turned to look up at him but when she did he was already walking away from her…again. She watched him for a moment, again wanting to just go after him but finally deciding it was best to just let him be. She instead grabbed Wendy's hand and headed toward Vix who was already heading toward her sisters. Jaci raised her eyebrows and nodded toward the hill, Vix nodded in agreement.

When they reached the summit, Vix whispered. "Honestly, half of me don't want to be up here… but the other half is plum determined to keep good manners and pay respect."

Jaci patted her on the shoulder. The three sisters stood at the headstones of their parents' grave. No matter how far different the three were, they all shared this loss if nothing else. They were all silent for a few moments until Wendy broke down into sobs suddenly. Jaci and Vix each wrapped an arm around their eldest sister, figuring the reality of knowing a drug overdose had put their mother in her grave was just a bit overwhelming for Wendy given her current circumstances. They both prayed she would take the lesson to heart.

**

Bikes and cars were quickly filling all available parking slots along the street with everyone coming by to pay their respects after the funeral. Most of the members from the out of town charters had opted to go back to the club house with a few of the SAMCRO guys. Family, close friends and the rest of the crew headed to Opie's. A small reception had thrown together by and at the instance of Ms. Ruby and a few of her friends. While everyone else was at the funeral, there had been a steady stream of little old ladies dropping off covered dishes for current consumption and various frozen dinners, all labeled with cooking instructions. Opie and his children would not have to worry about cooking for months.

Jaci parked her car up the street from Opie's house. She shook her head thinking that all she seemed to do lately was drive to places she didn't really want to be. Just as she was opening her car door, Jaci caught a glimpse of Tara walking up the street in the rearview mirror. _Are you fucking kidding me? Haven't you caused enough drama for one day? _Jaci pulled her hand back from the door handle and waited until Tara was closer before she exited her car. She was thankful Vix had decided to ride over to Opie's with Juice on his bike now that the funeral procession was over and would miss this little event.

Tara pulled up short as Jaci suddenly pushed opened her car door and stood up, blocking her path. Tara nodded slightly. "Jaci."

"Tara." Jaci said with a cool stare. The doctor tried to walk past her but Jaci cleared her throat. "Hey…are you _trying _to piss me off?"

Tara turned and frowned. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Tara had halfway been expecting some sort of backlash from the other Parker sisters for finally coming completely out into the open with her relationship with Jax. She had just figured it would be Vix to yell at her. Jaci had seemed to be the most civilized of the three. She sighed and asked, "Is this about sheltering Wendy so she can stay sober?"

Jaci shook her head. "Nooo. It's about common decency and the Golden Goddamn Rule. You wouldn't want your face rubbed in that if the tables were turned so why the hell do you keep doing it to my sister?"

"I...I" Tara fumbled for a response.

"You slammed the brakes on a baby's homecoming party and a funeral, Tara. That's what you did." Jaci continued. The last couple days had sucked and she was feeling bitchy. She was beginning to feel a more than a bit of frustration with Tig and it was was about to be misplaced. "If you want the spotlight so bad, just get _**Property of Jax**_ tattooed across your forehead and be done with it. The attention-whore bullshit is getting old."

Tara moved back slightly from Jaci with a shocked look. "Did you just call me a whore?"

"And if I did?" Jaci smirked "What would you do… fight me?"

Tara thought for a moment and shook her head. Honestly, she was a more than a bit intimidated by the two younger Parker sisters. They seemed to be unpredictable…as Jaci was obviously demonstrating. Tara cocked her head. "Seeing as how you'd probably kick my ass, I am going to say _No_. But I'd be... I... I _am_ seriously offended."

Jaci smiled. "I called you an _ATTENTION_ whore, Tara. The adjective was inserted on purpose." Jaci looked down the street for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. She hadn't really planned on attacking Tara like this, her mouth had just sort of taken on a life of its own. If she was being really honest, she was a bit jealous of Tara and Jax. She had months in with Tig and couldn't even manage to score eye contact from him today, let alone a kiss in public. Jaci glanced back at Tara. "Look, I've been cool with you and Jax doing whatever you're doing and if you would just stop trying to cram it down my sister's throat and everyone else's I might even be supportive."

"I don't NEED your support." Tara replied bluntly and crossed her arms.

Jaci let out a bark of laughter. "No… you don't need it....but you're damn sure going to WANT it. You need numbers against Gemma or she's going to eat you alive. Do yourself a favor and just be cool for a while."

Tara snorted. "I'm tired of hearing that."

"What? _Be Cool???_ You and me both." Jaci smirked and turned to walk toward Opie's house. She walked backwards a few steps. "'But get used to it, darlin'. That's the name of the fuckin' game around here...the mantra of the SOA."

**

The mood inside Opie's house was somber. Mostly everyone had broken off into little groups, chatting quietly. Vix was making rounds checking to make sure everyone had gotten a bit to eat when Mary approached her looking a bit alarmed.

"You haven't seen Ellie have you? I've looked everywhere." Mary asked.

Vix shook her head. "No. Have you looked outside? I think Opie and a few of the guys are out back or maybe out front?"

"I just said I looked everywhere." Mary snapped.

Vix nodded, understanding the strain the older woman was under and she kept her natural-born snarky-type reply to herself. "Ok, I am sure she is around here somewhere, I'll keep an eye out. Have you eaten anything? You look a bit famished." She thrust the plate of finger foods she was holding at Mary. "Here eat some of these will ya? Last thing we need is you having a diabetic episode."

After freeing herself of waitress duty, Vix followed a hunch born from her back yard conversation with the young girl the other day. She walked down the hall towards the bedrooms pausing at the slightly ajar door of Ellie's room. Taking a deep breath, she tapped lightly on the door, when she got no response she pushed the door open the rest of the way and entered. The room, as she expected, was empty. Taking another deep breath, Vix walked over and tapped lightly on the closet door. The knock went unanswered but as Vix listened closer she could hear the sound of muffled cries. Vix felt a shiver run down her spine as she tapped again a bit louder and said, "Ellie, sweetie, it's Vix. If you're in there please open up, baby girl."

A few seconds later the closet door opened slightly to reveal Ellie, seated on the floor of the closet with a tear streaked face. The sight nearly crushed Vix. She swallowed around the lump in her throat and asked, "Got room in there for one more?"

Ellie scooted over and Vix crawled in and shut the door behind her. There was silence for a while and then Ellie finally said, "You know I've been thinking about what your aunt told you and stuff. And I can't… Vix I don't got one thing to smile about... not one."

The girl's words rocked Vix to her very core and she quietly thanked the heavens that she was sitting on the floor because that was certainly where she would have ended up after hearing Ellie's declaration. Exhaling raggedly, Vix nodded and swallowed a couple of times, her mouth suddenly dry.

When she finally formulated her thoughts she spoke quietly, "Ellie listen to me, ok sweetie? I am gonna be real honest…I've been where you are, so I can understand what you're feeling. And I am gonna tell you, as much as you are hurting right now, it does get better."

Ellie sniffled next to her. "How long is it gonna hurt?"

Vix pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. "Those professional head-shrinker people say it'll hurt for a year…but they lie like dogs. And I don't really know so I don't want to lie to you. It's just like… a process you have to go through. I think it's different for every person. Probably safe to say it won't stop hurting as fast as you would want it to though."

As Ellie sniffled again, Vix thought back to the years after losing her mom and continued to try to give the girl some piece of mind. "You're gonna to have good days and bad days and sometimes you'll just be goin' about your day and something will remind you of your mom and you might end up cryin' but that's ok. You're totally allowed to cry… you're human with feelings, ya know? You're not some alien from like Mars or something so you can cry all you want and if anyone that tries to tell you different, you tell 'em to come see me 'cause I'll give 'em hell."

Vix wrapped her arm around Ellie slowly and felt the girl lean into her. "But you know what? Before you know it... all these things that remind you of your mom and make you cry when you think of them… well sooner or later they will make you smile. They will become special to you because they'll remind you of her."

"There's this boy at school…named Carson…" Ellie said quietly but starting to cry again. Vix waited her out and then the girl continued. "Carson's mom died when he was five and he said…he said… he don't even remember what she looked like. Is Kenny gonna even remember Mom?"

"Of course he will." Vix replied. "But… everything fades with time, Ellie. Right now you've got like real good pictures of your mom in your brain... well don't be scared if one day those pictures are sorta fuzzy when you think of them and aren't so clear. That doesn't mean you're forgettin' your mom, it just means she's moved from your brain to a special place in your heart. She'll always be there just you may have to close your eyes real tight and think real hard to bring the pictures back, but they'll always be there. Is any of this making any sense?"

From beside her Vix heard a sniffle and a quiet cough as Ellie thought it all over. "It makes real good sense, Vix. Even if your answers are completely sucky."

"Just being honest with you, kiddo." Vix replied. "And my answers might be sucky but they're true. I'm being totally straight with you…I hated getting talked down to when I was a kid."

Ellie swallowed hard. "Me too."

Vix sighed. "I'm sorry baby girl, but I just want you to know that when you think of your mom, you won't always cry. Sooner or later you'll smile. Ok?"

Ellie nodded. "Ok."

From the other side of the door they heard Mary's voice calling for Ellie. Vix looked over at the little girl and nodded, "You'd better go let your Gramma find you, now. She's totally freaked out."

Ellie wiped her eyes and nodded. She opened the closet door and crawled out, turning around to look at Vix. "You comin?"

Vix nodded, "I'll be there in a minute."

Ellie nodded and then walked out of the room. Vix reached up with a shaky hand and closed the closet door. Enclosed in the darkness the closet afforded, she released the sobs that she'd struggled to keep bottled in.

**

Jaci had been looking around for her sister for a while and spotted Juice outside having a smoke and talking with some of the guys. She walked over to him. "Hey, can I talk to ya for a minute?"

He nodded and followed her around the corner. He eyed her. "Are you gonna give me shit about the t-shirt, too?"

"Huh?" His question had broken her train of thought and she frowned, finally shaking her head. "No!"

Juice smiled. "Good, cause I already heard about it from Vix, Gemma and my Grandmother."

"Gemma? Seriously?" Jaci asked with a frown. "The twins were barely contained today; I was praying there wouldn't be wardrobe malfunction at the cemetery. And then there was Wendy. She looked nice in an _interstate off-ramp_ sorta way. The bare shoulders were a bit much for a funeral. So I think your t-shirt is the least horrific fashion faux pas of the day." She rolled her eyes. "At least it's black."

"That's what I keep reminding everybody." Juice replied with a grin.

Jaci sighed, trying to get back on point. "Look, can you do me a favor? Keep an eye on my sister tonight?"

"Vix?" He questioned.

"Yes, Vix." Jaci said, thinking to herself; _Wendy has enough eyes tracking her movements, especially around the alcohol_.

Juice nodded. "I always do."

"I know but today, keep a **closer** watch. I think this… all of this is hittin' harder on her than she's lettin' on. She's got me worried. She's running non stop helping out over here, with everything… keeping an eye on Ellie and Kenny. And well, right there – prime example… _kids losing their mom unexpectedly_. That bell is ringing very LOUDLY. Hell, when we went to our parents' graves earlier…" She thought of Wendy breaking down and cringed. "Today is just...ALOT. And we both know Vix's survival instinct is not to show weakness 'til it's too late. You have to know how to read her. So do you mind?"

Juice nodded solemnly. "You know I'll protect Vix from anything, right?" He replied in all seriousness. "Even from herself."

Jaci smiled. "Yeah, you passed the Bullet Test with flying colors."

"Bullet test?"

Jaci nodded. "Ask Vix about it sometime... just not today." The pair shared a long moment of silence. Juice took a drag from him cigarette as Jaci thought back to a long ago discussion she and Vix had had. They had come up with a litmus test to gauge how much a guy (and not relatives, blood or otherwise) really loved them. They called it the **Bullet Test**...as in_ W__**ould he be willing to take a bullet for you?**_ Juice was the first guy Vix had come across that passed it. Jaci had thought she had had a passer but if she was completely honest with herself, her ex fiancée Dean might have always been a _maybe_instead of a _yes. _Tig was oddly a _yes_ in her book though. Ironic that the guy she was going to _marry_ was iffy but the guy that wasn't supposed to mean anything to her passed the Bullet Test without a doubt. Jaci slugged Juice on the arm to break the silence.

"Hey…what about you? How are you holding up?" Juice asked.

"I'm doin' ok... gonna hang out here with you boys for a bit. I am about done with overly emotional women for one day. Feels like I'm drowning in the estrogen ocean. Maybe there's something wrong with me...hmmm?" Jaci smiled. "Vix is always kidding around saying she is missing the gathering gene that most females have, cause she hates shopping. Maybe she's got a point; I think I am missing the getting overly emotional gene. I just handle this stuff like everything else - approach and analyze, apply logic and attempt to find reason, remove all emotional value and stuff it in a neat little hole."

Juice cocked his head. "Hmm, what if it doesn't fit... into a neat little hole?"

"That's what sledgehammers are for." Jaci quipped.

**

After awhile, Jaci wandered back into the kitchen to find Vix beginning to wash up dirty dishes. Jaci took one look at Vix and could see her sister was drained…emotionally and physically. She pushed Vix away from the sink gently. "You go home…NOW."

"But I was…"

Jaci held up her hand. "No buts, baby. Juice is out back. Go tell him to drive you home."

Vix knew better than to argue with her sister and at that particular moment she was sort of glad to be told to get lost. She wandered outside and walked up to Juice, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders instinctively. He leaned over and said, "I was just gonna come find you. Sadie called me; Gram's got another migraine so they want to meet tomorrow morning at the diner for breakfast to figure out Henry's stuff."

Vix nodded and sighed and Juice studied her. "You alright?" He led her a few steps away from the group and gave her a hug.

She shrugged. "Not really... very déjà vu." She sat down in one of the little kid chairs in the back yard. A rant jumped out of her a second later. "All we need is Daddy tryin' to fill the emptiness he feels by knockin' back cold ones in the garage with BB and the boys and Roxy fluttering around trying to handle everything and Mama's family - who we'd never even met before 'cause they wrote her off as a lost cause when she got with Daddy - being all fake and shovelin' on sympathy and bullshit with a fork lift while Wendy and Jaci and I sit lined up on the couch as people parade by offering up condolences I can't grasp." She finally took a breath. "I was 7… the only death ever touched me at that point was dogs that died or mysteriously ran away. I didn't grasp _GONE_. I didn't realize how long _FOREVER_ was." Vix felt herself breakin' down. "I really need to get outta here."

Juice nodded without hesitation. "Yeah… ok, baby. No problem." The pair quickly said goodbye to Opie and the others and left.

**

Across town, Clay worked his way towards the inside of the clubhouse slowly, stopping to shake hands and visit with the various members of the other charters that had come down to show support for Opie. He kept a lookout for Tig and finally found him sitting alone at the very end of the bar. They locked eyes and shared a nod. Clay grabbed a beer and leaned down next to him, "Take a walk with me, brother."

They walked the length of the Teller Morrow parking lot and leaned against the wall of the office. They were silent for a few moments, just watching the other guys mix and mingle. Usually a gathering this large would have been rowdy but everyone was keeping the mood subdued due to the circumstances. Clay finally spoke, "How you doing with everything?"

Tig didn't skip a beat in his reply and answered flatly, "I'm ok."

"Bullshit." Clay muttered and chuckled sadly. He had known Tig for a lot of years and this was one of the few times he had ever seen the man rattled. But knowing Tig, he knew better than to talk directly about the real problem so began to talk _around _the issue. Clay took a swig of beer. "Jaci and Vix are over at Op's…heard they've been a quote/unquote _godsend_, helping out with the house and the kids and stuff."

Tig stared straight ahead and nodded slightly. "She's always talking about Southern manners and hospitality and shit."

"She's a damn good woman." Clay replied, catching the slight tone of affection in Tig's voice.

Tig nodded in agreement but stayed silent.

"Where's her head in all of this?"

"Don't know." Tig replied and then frowned, swallowing hard. "I haven't talked to her since…before." He had headed straight to the clubhouse after the funeral. There were too many people he couldn't bear to face at Opie's house right now.

Clay frowned. Tragedies usually pulled people closer together, Lord knew he had leaned on Gemma, took strength from her often. "Who's avoiding who?"

Tig shook his head slightly, still staring ahead. "It's me...she's fine...thinks I'm just buried in club shit. She doesn't _cling_."

Clay watched Tig for a moment or two and realized his right hand man was on a very slippery slope and which ever way Tig ultimately fell would have dire ramifications on himself and the Club. He needed Tig's head clear and focused and the guilt over Donna tucked away quickly and deeply. He needed to be able to count on his SAA without a doubt because he held no illusions that they were out of the woods just yet; between the Niners and the Mayans and the stares he had gotten from Jax at the funeral…more trouble was to come.

"Look… …I need you to pull your shit together. No distractions…I need you focused."

"I know, man." Tig replied quietly.

"Let me finish. You know I rarely butt into your business, brother. And God knows I don't even try to understand a lot of the shit you do with the women in your life. But if being with Jaci is your way of _coping_… then so be it."

"Clay, I would _never_ say…" Tig snapped his head to look at his friend, appalled that Clay could even think that he would discuss club business with a woman.

Clay held up his hand. "I'm not saying that. I'm just saying…you and her have something…hell, more than I even realized. Maybe she's good for you. I'm all for you finding some peace, brother. Just don't let her drag you down." Clay held up a finger towards his friend. "Don't forget who you are…what you signed up for. Find a way to balance it."

Tig nodded his understanding but it was hard to find a balance with her when he was still unsteady himself. He couldn't even bring himself to speak to Jaci. Hell he had broken down in tears in front of Clay, that couldn't happen in front of Jaci. She could never know about his fuck up. He stared off at the parking lot again. "I can't even look at her, man."

"Yes you can." Clay encouraged. "What happened…that's in the past. Don't ever look back at that…put it away."

"Yeah."

"But you can't keep avoiding her. Keep dodging her and she'll think something is up, she's sharp." Clay clapped a hand on Tig's shoulder. "Work it out…one way or another. Find some peace…the sooner the better, hear me?" He walked away, leaving Tig to think.

To be continued…

You didn't think we'd leave ya hanging like THAT, did ya?

Ok! Admittedly, this _finale_ is got a little long winded even for us. Mainly, due to Reaper's refusal to CUT ANYTHING!! _"Everyone put down the sharp objects and step away from our masterpiece!!!!" _

So, y'all, sit tight while we REALLY wrap up SEASON 1 and maybe (if you're good) toss a few bones your way for _Season 2 - Hangin' with the Parkers_ or whatever the hell we decide to call it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Caution Lights**

**Chapter 7- Cold Shoulder**

**The ****REAL**** Season 1 Finale of the Parker Girl Saga**

**By BG and Reaper**

The day after Donna's funeral was Vix's first official day back to work and it had been a long one. Her usual clients were so glad to see her back they'd booked her solid through the day. She had spent every minute since 9 am styling hair. She was happy as a lark, albeit an exhausted one.

Eve had cut out early to attend the emergency town meeting. Vix had offered to close up the shop and drop the box of 'salon closing notices' off at the post office. She was just walking from the back room when she heard the bells chime above the front door, indicating someone had entered the salon.

"We're closed!" She hollered from behind the stack of freshly laundered towel she was carrying. Lowering the towels, she found herself face to face with Piney Winston. "Well, hey Piney." Vix said cheerfully, as she pondered the old man's appearance in the beauty shop. "Everything ok?" She asked delicately since _ok_ was now a relative term in the Winston family.

"Not really." The old man muttered with a chuckle and stepped aside to reveal Kenny and Ellie.

Vix took one glance at Ellie and a look of alarm registered on her face. She dropped the pile of clean towels all over the floor. "My sweet Lord. What the fu..." She caught herself before the curse could come out. She had enough bad karma in her life with out adding corruption of minors to the mix. "What happened to her hair?"

"Apparently this one..." Piney nodded towards Kenny, "stuck a big wad of gum in this ones hair." He patted Ellie on the shoulder. "Mary tried to ice it, peanut butter it, and when those didn't work she tried..."

"A hacksaw?" Vix guessed aloud. "Jesus, Piney." She said as she stepped forward to get a good look at the damage. "I think Mary has some serious depth perception or hand-eye coordination issues."

"Among other things." Piney nodded.

Ellie began to cry. "I told you it is unfixable. Vix is a beautician not a magician." With that being said, the little girl began to wail louder. Kenny saw his sister crying and he started sobbing too.

Vix and Piney exchange looks: his was one of thinning patience at playing grandpa - a role he was not comfortable with at all. Hers was one of supreme protectiveness mixed with a bit of what the fuck am I supposed to do with two hysterical grade schoolers.

When Ellie reached out and grabbed Vix's hand, sniffled and said, "It's alright Vix, I can always wear a wig, right?" The ball that had been volleying between she and Piney landed firmly on her side of the court.

Vix gasped out loud. Piney shook his head and muttered something that sounded like he was late for something or other and did she mind dropping off the kids at home when she was through here and that Mary should be home from the VFW by ten.

Vix nodded, "Sure. No worries." She winced internally as she lied out loud because she was worried, deeply, about all of them.

Piney nodded his thanks and left the shop. Vix sighed and stared at the two kids, who had ceased crying and were just standing there staring at her. "Ok, here is what we are gonna do... Kenny, you know what you did was wrong, right?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry, sister." He looks like he is about to cry again.

Vix eyed him. "And you're never gonna do it again, right?"

"Nope, not ever." He replied.

"Well ok then, your punishment is to pick up all those towels I dropped all over the floor and stick 'em on that chair over there, got it?"

The boy nodded solemnly and started picking up the towels.

Vix seated Ellie at her station and began examining the extent of the damage. In Vix's opinion, what Kenny did was nothing compared to the mess Mary made of it. "Ellie, if this ever happens to you again, the gum thing… refuse all attempts at removal and come find me, quick as you can ok. We got shi... STUFF to take gum out. Your Grandma is Old School, she didn't know any better so try not to be too mad at her, ok? She was trying to help, bless her heart."

Ellie nodded her understanding and Vix set to attempt to work miracles. She found that by layering Ellie's hair she was able to mask the worst of it. When she finished, Ellie was sporting a new do and when Vix spun her around to face the mirror, Ellie was shocked. "I was wrong… Vix you are a magician!"

Vix laughed, "Thanks baby girl, sometimes I amaze even myself."

Kenny looked over from where he was playing battleship with the perm rods in the shampoo sink, "Hey, Vix."

"Hmm?"

"You own this place?" He asked.

"What dude?"

"Do you own this place? It's fun here, I wanna come back and play some more."

"No sweetie…" Vix shook her head, "I don't own it, I just work here. Hey can you grab that broom over in the corner for me, buddy? I'll sweep up this mess on the floor and then what do you two say to some ice cream before I drop you back home?"

No kid in their right mind would turn down ice cream and the Winston kids were firmly in theirs. After Vix finished closing up the salon, she led the kids out the door, stopped to put the box of "notices" in the trunk of her car and then led them down the block to The Inside Scoop.

As she sat there eating her waffle cone of Death By Chocolate, Vix pondered Kenny's question about owning the salon. She frowned and asked herself, _Why couldn't I own it?_

**

Tig finally showed up on Jaci's doorstep the night after the funeral, unannounced of course. Clay had been right during their talk; Tig could only avoid Jaci for so long. She was too smart and would start worrying about why he was pulling back from her. He had to either face her straight on or walk away from all of it.

Jaci opened the door and was a little shocked to see Tig standing there. He didn't wait to be invited in, just brushed past her and walked on inside. Thankfully the Parker sisters had postponed their Kumbaya session until tomorrow night or Tig would have been showing up right in the big middle of it. She frowned slightly at his lack of greeting and shut the door, figuring she would skip formalities as well. "So what happened to your face?" She had been wondering that during the funeral.

"Just a little disagreement. It's nothing. Been a crazy couple of days." He answered as he stood in the front hall with his back to her. She walked over to him and touched one of the bruises on his face lightly with her finger. "I'm fine." He soothed as he brushed her hand away and held it down by his side instead. Inside his head he screamed the truth, _I shot your brother in law's best friend's wife and so I put my head through a mirror and then he figured it all out so I let him beat my ass as temporary punishment. Pretty fucking far from nothing._

For lack of a better idea, he kissed her forehead and let her wrap her arms around him. He closed his eyes and surprised himself by hugging her tight. _Come on…you can do this. _He held onto to her like an anchor and focused on just breathing in and out. _You stupid fucking girl, you should really run from me._

"Missed you." Jaci whispered as she hugged him back.

"Yeah." He answered hoarsely and cleared his throat. He released her and headed toward the back door, still without really looking at her. "Get me a beer, would ya?"

Jaci watched him go and grabbed a beer from the fridge and refilled her wine glass. She took the beer out to him and settled in next to him on the wicker couch and watched the flames. She had actually been outside do this very thing for an hour; just her, a few glasses of wine and her iPod and speakers, playing depressive slow music.

"Started without me, huh?" Tig asked quietly as he looked over the familiar setup.

"Didn't know when you would be around." Jaci replied. "Just been sitting out here thinking." She waited for Tig to say something. She had already pieced a few things together, just by all of the tension displayed at the funeral. Tig's face was a bit jacked; Jax's lip was busted so the _disagreement _must have been between them. Something was brewing between Clay and Jax too judging by the harsh looks.

He slid his arm around her and they stared at the flames for a long while without talking. Sitting beside her felt comforting and unsettling at the same time; it was a familiar act that he used to love but now it felt like a sham. He didn't know what the hell to say to her. After nearly a half hour of sitting silently by each other, Tig was starting to get mad. The songs that were playing were bringing back memories. Moments around the fire pit were what had brought him and Jaci together but now, at least to him, it felt hollow.

Jaci had been going over and over Donna's murder in her head since the night it had happened, just trying to understand it all. She didn't like the conclusions she had made. Her heart had been arguing with her head all day, trying to prove logic wrong. But now, sitting next to Tig and feeling the heavy awkwardness between them, maybe her head had been right. Something was off...but was there really trouble or had they just been disconnected for a bit too long? She didn't rush the moment of confrontation and instead stayed silent.

She was slowly and absently trailing her fingers along the center of his chest over his shirt and for some reason that unnerved him, it was too familiar, too _normal_. He grabbed her wrist and hissed, "Stop." She looked up at him questioningly. _Shit, why did you snap at her? _The thought popped in his head but was gone an instant later as a rush of anger and frustration flooded though him. _Goddamnit…DO something! Fix this shit. Get back what you had! Enough of this awkward bullshit._

He saw Jaci's eyes widen slightly in surprise right before he slammed his mouth against hers so hard and unexpected that their teeth clanked together. A grunt came from her and she tried to pull back from him a bit but he gripped the back of her head and held her in place. Every part of his life was spinning and suddenly he wanted some control back…over anything. He just wanted to something to be like it used to be and the closest thing to try and exert dominance over just happened to be Jaci.

Tig was being too rough with her, forcing all of his emotions into physicality. He had pushed her back on the wicker loveseat and was on top of her, their heads had knocked together a few times. Everything was just too rough, it felt like an attack rather than an impromptu make out session; even his kisses hurt_. _He had pulled back her shirt to kiss her neck but then clamped down on her collarbone with his teeth.

She muffled a pain filled grunt and pushed against his chest, "Tig, could you…" He slapped her hands off him and was on her again. The hard wicker armrest was digging into the back of her head. She grunted in annoyance. She was all for reconnecting, knowing that might be easier to open the communication channels afterwards but he was moving at the speed of light. "Hang on, just let me…"

"Shut the fuck up." Tig whispered hoarsely. He had unbuttoned her jeans and was in the middle of trying to pull them down. "Just shut up…"

She was all for raw passion but everything just felt wrong to her. He was completely detached from her and not listening and she was not feeling the same level of urgency as he was at all. _Ok, enough already! _"Tig, seriously...STOP!" Jaci half yelled.

Tig jerked his head up to look at her and hissed. "What?!....Fucking… what?!" He pushed up on both his arms on the armrest and glared down at her.

She squirmed out from under him and ducked under one of his arms. "This doesn't feel right…you're being too rough." She stood up and looked back at him. She felt sort of prudish for stopping him, hell she might have went along with things had they been in the bedroom. But then again maybe not…something about the look in his eyes was unnerving to her, seriously lacking affection and a bit too predatory.

He had one knee on the loveseat and his other leg hanging off of it. "You've got to be fuckin' kidding me." He muttered as he stood up, breathing heavily. "No one else fuckin' complains."

_No one else complains? _His comment stung her slightly but she let it slide. "Let's just go inside. I'm not really in the mood to be fucked on my back porch." She doused the fire pit with the cup of water that sat at its base.

"Goddamnit." Tig muttered as he glared back at her. As she turned toward the backdoor, he kicked the little metal table that the iPod and speakers sat on, sending it all scattering across the deck. Jaci whipped around at the crash. Tig pointed toward the door, "Keep walking."

Jaci stomped into the living room with him following close behind. She was stunned by the sudden shift in his personality, his detachment, his temper. She turned, "What's your problem?! You ignore me for days and then just show up and attack me and then throw a tantrum when you don't get your way? What's going on?"

"Don't have a problem and I didn't fuckin' attack you. Not my fault you're so goddamn frigid." He watched the hurt and confusion spread across her face. _Shit. I swear to God I fuck up everything I touch. _He headed toward the front door to leave but stopped after a few steps. He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. A humorlessly laugh escaped him. _Where the fuck are you going? Sit down, Sit down._

Tig crossed the living room and flopped angrily onto the couch. He held one of his hands out to her. "I didn't mean all that…come here." She stood a few feet away from him and didn't move, only glared at him. "Jaci, for fuck's sakes…just come here. We'll slow down." Tig quickly tried to down shift gears in his mind. He knew he shouldn't have acted like that with her out on the back deck . _Stupid fucking idiot._

She sat down but left a huge space between them. He reached over with his left arm and pulled on her leg to _drag_ her closer to him. _Shit, she's probably worried you're going to hit her, asshole. _He kept his eyes on the floor. "It's just…my head's a little fucked up…a lot of shit's happened lately."

"I know." She replied simply.

Those two words hit him like a sledgehammer. Suddenly a part of him wanted to test her, to push her, to see just how smart she was or how dumb she would play. He turned to stare at her. "What do you know?"

She just frowned at him. "I was just agreeing with you."

He stared harder at her and shook his head. "No…you got something to say. Just say it."

It was Jaci's turn to stare at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world. She wasn't sure how she thought this night would go when it finally arrived but _this _wasn't it. Tig was wound up too tight tonight and out of control. He was hard enough to read under normal conditions and tonight was far from normal. It felt like they were dancing around a 500 lb gorilla in the room. Bobby's arrest, Opie's finances, Donna's death…something wasn't making sense.

She phrased next words as carefully as she could, knowing she was overstepping her bounds completely. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. _Here goes nothing. _"Look, I know how it goes for women in a MC. I've seen all sides of that. I know not to ask questions…especially about things that I don't really want to know the answers to. I know how to keep my mouth shut. But that stuff I gave you on Opie…I stuck my neck out…it was really bad stuff and I know what happens to rats…so when the Niners swoop in and kill his wife the next day…"

He ran his hands over his face and then held his head in his hands for a moment with his elbows resting on his knees. _Shit…oh goddamn she knows its all bullshit. She's too fucking smart. Fuck, fuck, fuck._

When Tig didn't yell or scream, just sat quietly next to her, she decided to continue. "I don't know why Donna was in that truck. You know…she was coming back to help me clean up but I don't know…"

_\_

He glanced at her and frowned. If she even suspected he had killed Donna she would have been livid, screaming, crying _mad_. She wouldn't have been able to hold all of that inside. But she wasn't; one look at her and he could see the _guilt _in _her_ eyes. She thought _she_ had Donna's blood on her hands. A flame of sick self preservation flickered to life inside him. _Lie. Lie to her! Make her believe the story. Look at her, she's drowning in guilt. She wants an out…lie to her!!_ He took another moment to collect his thoughts. He remembered telling her one day that he was a very good liar, that a lie and the truth would sound the same coming from him; it was time to put all that to the test.

"If you were anyone else, I would tell you to fuck off and mind your business." He kept his eyes on the floor but at least turned his head slightly in her direction. "But you're not anyone else… so I'm going to tell you the truth. This never leaves this room, you understand me?" He locked eyes with her and hoped he was convincing. "This is between you and me; I could get my patch stripped for telling you this shit."

She nodded her understanding so he continued and found that he could look her in the eye for most of his story because _most_ of it was true. He told her how Op's finances being paid off was all just a ploy by Stahl to set him up, that Op had come to the club and proved that he was loyal and everything was fine. He left out the part about finding the listening devices. Then he told her about the gun deal in Oakland, how he and Op had stupidly taken Op's truck on the run. He told her things had gone bad, that Niners had been killed and he and Op had barely made it out.

He stared at the floor when he switched to the hardcore lies but he rested his hand on her thigh and she didn't try to look at him, she looked down too. He lied and told her that the Niners must have seen Op's truck, decided to get some revenge, must have been waiting for Op after the party. He got a little choked up at that point but didn't think that gave him away. Everyone seemed to get choked up when talking about Donna's death, if anything that made him all the more believable. He told her the Niners must have saw the truck and just shot, not checking on who was actually in the truck. He waited a moment for all the lies to soak in for her and then ventured a glance at her. She had tears in her eyes. He squeezed her hand and sealed the deal.

"Donna's death…that's just a fucked up mess. But it had nothing to do with you. Donna getting killed…that's on me…on Opie. We were careless…reckless." He took a shaky deep breath. _Careless and reckless fucked up mess, wasn't that the damn truth. I should have listened to my gut and called the whole damn thing off but if Opie would have been less hit and miss with the club, we never would have doubted him. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. _ He waited until he had himself under control before he continued. "You don't have any blood on your hands, Jaci." She nodded her head absently.

He pulled her closer and leaned his head against hers. She had bought the lies. The story _was _believable if you didn't look past the surface and with her level of involvement in thinking Op was a rat she wouldn't pick apart the story. She _wanted_ to believe it…for now.

With their heads still together, she whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She explained, "Everything is fucked up right now and I'm just sorry it's all happening."

He nodded and put his hands on her face. "It's ok. It'll be ok." She kissed him and for a moment everything stopped and his head was above water. He muttered those words a few more times, trying to convince them both. He pushed her back on the couch; his touch was soft as he tried to chase a moment of peace. They kissed and touched for a few minutes and Jaci was ready to get serious. _This_ was how she had wanted to reconnect. She suddenly wanted to get as close to him as possible. She pulled at Tig's belt and tugged his shirt loose but he didn't even seem to notice. He had gone from intently focused to supremely distracted. Jaci didn't think they had ever been so out of sync.

Tig's peace was short lived. With his eyes closed, he was suddenly having a hard time focusing; his brain was starting to run through all bad shit from the last couple of days…talking to Jaci in the car about Op, the doll warehouse, Abel's party, shooting Donna and then watching Op cry over her body. Lying to Jaci had tipped him over again.

He had known from the day he started messing with Jaci that he would have to lie to her…he just had always thought it would be lies to cover up screwing around on her or occasionally leaving her in the dark about some club stuff. And then it turned out that he hadn't had to lie that much to her at all, that she had calmed him down a bit, he had kept himself in check for her for the most part. He never thought that he would have to lie this _big _to her…never _wanted _to have to do that.

"Tig, what's wrong?"

He shook his head and looked down at her lying underneath him. "What?"

"I said what's wrong? You just kind of stopped." Jaci asked with a worried look on her face. "And you're not…uh…" She dropped her eyes down south, not wanting to say the words. "You were but now you're not…"

He frowned and caught her drift. He grabbed at his dick through his jeans. _Limp dick…shit. _That had never happened with Jaci before…_ever. _Not even when he had been high or shitfaced drunk, he had always been good to go with her. Hell he could count on one hand the amount of times this had happened in his entire life. He stood up and stumbled backward, buckling his belt. _Go from damn near raping her to not being able to fuck her at all. Goddamn Donna shit…it's making me fucking crazy. _ He dodged eye contact and headed for the door, muttering. "I gotta go."

Jaci sat on the couch stunned. She jumped up and started after him. She grabbed his hand. "Whoa, whoa. Tig it's ok. You don't have to go. Just wait, we can…"

"It's not fucking ok." He shoved her away from him as he reached the door. "Get the fuck off me." He left without another word. He slammed the door and left Jaci staring at it.

******

Jaci struggled through the next day at work, supremely distracted by the previous night's events with Tig. As she headed for home, she decided to let go of all the worry. Tonight, she had other issues to deal with…mainly the Parker Sister Kumbayah Session.

Wendy showed up right on time at Parker Place since she was brought there by Vix. Gemma had volunteered to watch Abel until she returned. The sisters didn't even bother with pleasantry bullshit instead they all headed into the living room and picked their spots for the long talk. Jaci eyed her sisters, "Ok…let's do this. Just get out ANYTHING that is on your mind about the past, present or future. We've had enough dysfunction in our lives up to this point, so let's start breaking some damn cycles. Who wants to start?"

Vix's hand shot up and so it began. After two hours and lots of yelling, finger pointing, crying and laughing, it was over and a pretty solid peace had been made between the three of them. Promises had been made, only time would tell if they would be kept.

Vix grinned at Jaci and nodded her head in exaggeration toward the kitchen. Jaci groaned. "I can't cook another thing… I am burnt out."

"Well then I vote for Chinese." Vix replied. Wendy shrugged and nodded her agreement.

Jaci winced. "Ok but the Chinese sucks in this town. God may love Nathanial Wong but he didn't give him any cooking ability." She stood up and stretched. "I've been to this place over in O-town with the work crew a few times…food is awesome if you guys are up for a road trip."

Vix grinned and yelled, "Shotgun!"

"Oh my god, what are you five years old?" Wendy retorted with a laugh. Jaci grabbed her car keys and the sisters headed out. The drive to Oakland was good with the girls mostly just singing along with the radio. They arrived at the restaurant and went inside.

They were met at the door immediately by a small Asian woman. "Sorry, sorry. Almost time to close."

The girls frowned and Jaci looked back toward the door questioningly. "I thought you were open until ten? We've got thirty minutes, right? Come on… we drove all the way from Charming just to eat here."

The woman sighed and relented slightly. "No buffet…menu only."

"No problem!" Vix exclaimed. "I'm starvin'. I'll eat damn near anything at this point."

"Don't let the cooks hear that…they'll throw some weird shit together." A man sitting at the front counter said with a low laugh. He looked the girls over and gave them a sly smile. He spoke to the woman in Chinese, waving her toward the main dining room. The woman rolled her eyes, not wanting to serve the girls but reluctantly motioned for the Parkers to follow her. As the girls walked past, the man gave them a wink and a smile and turned his attention back to the stack of papers before him…well after he stared at their asses.

The girls settled in at their table and started to look over the menus that the woman had thrust at them before walking away in a huff.

"That guy only let us in cause we're hot." Wendy mused.

"True dat." Vix agreed with a smirk.

Jaci eyed Vix and grinned. "Yeah, either that or he felt drawn to his twin here." Jaci pointed to Vix's jet black piecey hair style.

"Mmmph. Well at least he's got good taste then." Vix shot back. She ran her hand over her hair. "Don't get too attached to this look…the black is going bye-bye very soon."

"Ooh big surprise." Wendy teased.

As the woman approached, Vix shot a look to Jaci and smiled, whispering, "I'm going to do it, you know." Jaci instantly realized what IT was and shook her head in amusement. For as long as Jaci could remember, Vix had been ordering a particular drink KNOWING that most Asian restaurants didn't have it only to make them suggest an alternative that they usually butchered with their accent. It was their little inside joke.

Jaci ordered water to drink and Wendy asked for the same, leaving Vix to make her request. Vix looked up at the woman very innocently and said, "Doctor Pepper, please."

The woman didn't miss a beat and replied in her heavy accent with, "Missa Pibb ok?"

Vix smiled as Jaci bit her cheek to keep from laughing. "That's fine. Thank you!"

When the woman was out of earshot Jaci smacked Vix on the arm. Vix laughed, "What?! That is funny EVERY single time and you know it! Missa Pibb! Not my fault everything is funnier in an Asian accent!"

Wendy just shook her head as Jaci rolled her eyes and Vix continued laughing. The elder Parker sister was oddly enjoying every second with her sisters, realizing just how much she had missed being around them.

The hostess returned with their drinks and took their order. A few minutes later she appeared with a tray of Saki and placed it on the table. The girls frowned since they had not ordered the rice wine but the woman waved them away. "Compliments of the owner, Mr. Lin."

The girls all eyed the Saki in front of them with neither Jaci nor Vix wanting to point out that Wendy shouldn't be drinking any alcohol. Wendy saved them the trouble and shoved her small cup away. "So who's drinking mine?"

"Not me. I don't actually like the stuff." Jaci piped in.

Vix shrugged, grabbing the pot of Saki and helping herself. "Well I guess that leaves me! Waste not, want not, right? Besides the only wagon I'm interested in jumping on is a sin wagon." She took a long sip and held up the small cup in a toast to Lin who was watching the girls with a smirk on his face. He nodded in return to Vix. His ears had perked up when the one woman had mentioned Charming and he studied them more closely now thinking over the recent situation with The Sons of Anarchy and his dear ex accountant, Chucky. He had moved from the front counter to the bar that ran along the main dining room. He pretended to study the papers in front of him while he eavesdropped on the women. There were worse ways to end the night than spying on a few beautiful women.

The girls made small talk as their dinner arrived. Vix shoveled in a mouth full of Lo Mein. "Oh damn that's good! Good pick, J." She held up a finger as she chewed and then swallowed. "Hey, what's Tigger up to tonight?"

"No clue." Jaci replied coolly. She hadn't even tried to talk to him since the previous night. She was tired of trying to interact and getting her hand slapped. He was probably too busy dying of embarrassment any way due to the limp noodle incident. He would call when his pride was healed up.

"Tigger…oh my god, don't call him that to his face, Vix." Wendy warned with a laugh.

"Too late…I do it all the time." Vix frowned and turned her attention back to Jaci. "Tig's been sorta absent lately. Did you guys even talk at the funeral?"

"Nope. You know how he is...does what he wants whenever he wants...on a whim or whatever. He actually dropped by last night." Jaci replied, never bothering to worry about tossing Tig's name around so much. In Charming, she would have been more careful.

Vix eyed her. "And?"

Jaci raised her eyebrows. "And what?"

"Your tone seems a little pissy or something."

Jaci shook her head and frowned. "No...it's just...it didn't go very well." She was visibly frustrated. She stopped for a second to collect her thoughts, knowing she couldn't mention any of the previous night's discussions or events…or lack there of. "I swear he has the emotional maturity of a 13 year old boy. He opens up, he closes off, he gets pissed off easily. Sometimes I just want to shake the shit of him."

After finishing off another cup of Saki, Vix waggled her finger at Jaci. "You know your issue with Tigger reminds me of this song I heard the other day while I was in the shower. And it was amazingly funny at the time because I was listening to the lyrics while staring at the water knobs cause the song is called HOT n COLD. HA!!! Anywoo, the words go like this: "_You're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no, you're in then you're out, you're up then you're down, you're wrong when it's right, it's black and it's white. We fight, we break up, we kiss, we make up. _

Vix stopped her serenade for a second to cram in another bite of food, from egg roll this time._ "_Hell she even says a line about how he speaks cryptically and that she should know he aint' no good for her. And there's some really cute bit about havin' a case of love bi-polar. I bet Tig could be bi-polar."

"Geez…shut up, Vix!" Jaci hissed and stared in annoyed awe of her baby sister. "Are you finished?"

Vix mused for a second and smiled. "I think so."

"Well, thank you, Katy Perry." Jaci said sarcastically. "I know the song...and it does fit _part_ of the time. We've been ok for the most part, he's just weird lately."

"Everyone body is stressed out right now. Jax was a mess the other night." Wendy offered. She didn't bother sharing the fact that she had slept with Jax…it seemed pointless since he had kissed Tara at the funeral in front of everyone.

Vix nodded. "Juice has been bugging out too. It'll all work out. But you knew Tig wasn't _normal_ when you hooked up with him. Weirdness is to be expected. Ooh, speakin of…Wendy, what's your opinion on J's _boyfriend_?"

Wendy looked very surprised by her sister's question and tried to dodge it. "Um…I am not here to judge or take sides really."

"Well aren't you just neutral like Austria?" Vix replied as she cocked an eyebrow.

"Switzerland." Jaci corrected.

Vix rolled her eyes. "I knew it was one of those German countries from the Sound of Music or some shit."

Jaci tried not to laugh at her obviously tipsy sister but couldn't help it. "Vix, Switzerland is its OWN country, dumbass."

"Whatever." Vix dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Ms. Switzerland Parker, over there."

"Case." Wendy gently reminded.

Vix pointed a finger at Wendy and stared her down. "Parker born, Parker Bred, Parker you'll always be. I don't give two shits 'bout that five second marriage you had to Scotty Case. You know you just did it outta rebellion to piss Daddy off." Vix frowned. "Why'd you keep that name anyway when you married Jax? Inquiring minds have always wanted to know…but Jaci wouldn't let me ask."

Lin scribbled a few names down on his paper:

_hot brunette (J/JC?)__Tig_

_hippie chick (Wendy)__Jax, Case_

_funky chick (Vicks?Vix?)__Juice?_

_Sisters?_

_Charming_

He circled Jax and then tapped his pen on the paper and listened more closely to the girls.

Wendy shrugged. "Just never took the time to do the paper work to officially change it. Always had more important things to do, ya know… crank, smack, pot, Jimmy, Johnny, Jack and Jose."

"True, true." Vix nodded. "Ok, Wendy…what's your opinion on the Tig and Jaci show? We need a tie breaker. J's a yes but I'm a no so vote!'

"You're a no?? Since when??" Jaci frowned.

Vix explained, "Well I'm not a 'no' RIGHT NOW. I'm like… a no to LONG TERM."

"Oh."

Wendy shrugged and winced. "I still can't get my head around you being with him, J. I mean…I've seen him doing some pretty messed up shit to girls around the clubhouse."

Vix saw Jaci frown and decided to head off the Tigger talk. She reached across the table and patted Jaci's hand. "No worries, J. Gemma and Clay manage to make it all work, there has to be some hope for the rest of us."

Lin smiled slightly as he jotted down a few more words: _Clay_, c_lubhouse._ He thought for a minute, a few of those words were ringing a loud bell with him. Next he wrote _SAMCRO _and circled it as the puzzle came together in his mind. The lovely ladies seemed to be affiliated with the Sons of Anarchy. His curiosity was peaked and he decided to go chat up the ladies. He stood and walked over to their table with a charming smile plastered across his face. "How's is everything tonight, ladies?"

All three of the sisters gushed about how great the food was and thanked him for the Saki. One look at the funky black headed girl and it was plain to tell she had drank the entire pot of rice wine by herself. He kept his smile in place. "So you ladies are from Charming? How did you know about this place?"

The brunette smiled and nodded at him. "I work in Oakland sometimes so I've actually been here before."

"Where do you work?" Lin asked. She rattled off the name of a law firm he knew in town. He grinned. "Oooh a lawyer!"

Jaci smiled back but corrected him. "No…just a lowly accountant."

"She is NOT lowly…she's VERY important!" Vix corrected. She was very proud of Jaci.

Lin laughed. These sisters were damn enjoyable. "I'm sure she's is. That's a good profession to be in…people always seem to need a good accountant. Honesty seems to be an issue with some."

"That can be a problem.' Jaci replied with a nod.

Lin outright flirted with them for a few moments more asking them vague questions and then wished them a good night and returned to his papers and his seat at the bar. The hostess/waitress woman appeared a few more times, always trying to rush the girls along. Their thirty minute meal was pushing an hour now but she was the only one that seemed to mind. The girls took the hint and settled up their bill, waving and smiling to Lin on their way out.

Once outside, Vix and Wendy fired up cigarettes immediately.

"What now?" Vix asked.

Jaci shrugged. "Go home I guess."

"I don't want to go back yet." Wendy said. "I'm sorta liking hanging out with ya'll."

"Ya'll?!" Vix laughed and punched Wendy on the arm. "We're rubbing off on her, J!"

Jaci smiled. "Well…what are we going to do?" The three were silent for a few minutes trying to think of something. With the late hour, there weren't many legal alternatives.

Vix suddenly clapped her hands together. "I got it!! Tattoos!"

"What?!" Jaci asked with a frown.

"Ink baby! None of us have anything really family related, we should all get something."

Wendy was already nodding. "I know a place not far from here. Jax and I both have been there before."

Jaci studied her two sisters who were obviously all for the idea of a new tat. She was a bit more selective about tats and very selective about their placement unlike her sisters had numerous tats in very obvious places like their forearms. "So what would we get? And where are we putting it?"

"Well it can't be anything on our backs, heaven forbid we break the Asian theme you have going on…" Vix teased.

Jaci smirked and flipped her off. "I would bend the rules for family...if you asked nicely enough."

Vix headed for the car. "Come on, we'll figured it out on the way there. Wendy, you can have shotgun…navigate wisely! I don't want to end up in any Oakland ghettos!"

The girls found the tattoo parlor without a problem and luckily it was still open. There was only one customer being worked on and two other artists sat around talking. One the artists, a good looking middle aged guy, walked over and asked if he could help them. Jaci explained the tattoo they had all decided on, PARKER written in script in simple black ink.

The artist, nodded. "We can do that. Where are you girls wanting them?" He silently wished they would say someplace intimate like on their hips but knew he wouldn't get that lucky with a family tat. The girls replied that the tat would be on the back of their necks.

Vix was immediately enamored with the guy. "You know you look like that dude from LA Ink?"

"Corey…yeah." The artist replied and rolled his eyes. "I get that a lot."

"Total compliment, man. That dude is hot." Vix said with a grin.

She was a bit overactive and the artist smiled while watching her. He looked to Jaci and frowned. "Is she drunk? Can't ink her if she's drunk."

"Nooo… she's not drunk!" Jaci pulled Vix away from the counter and stood in front of her. She plastered a sweet smile on her face. "She's always like this. But um…we'll let her go last." Jaci turned and glared at Vix. "Maybe she'll calm down by then." Vix grinned and nodded.

After drawing up a stencil that the girls looked over and very much approved of, the artist led Wendy to a chair and started work on her. The other available artist led Jaci to his station.

"Um, actually my tat needs to be a bit lower than theirs. I can't show any ink at work." Jaci explained.

"She's very important!!" Vix exclaimed as she twisted back and forth on a stool across the small room.

Jaci couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you like me so much tonight."

"I love you, sis!"

Jaci's artist laughed at the girls. "Ok, no problem. We can put it right at the top of your shoulders. That work?" Jaci nodded and he started trying to pull the neck of her shirt down enough to get a proper work space. "Um…this isn't working too good. How shy are you?"

"Do I need to just take it off?" Jaci asked with a wince. He nodded. Jaci shook her head in amazement. _Wow, I'm stripping to get a tat in Oakland during the work week.. Classy. _She stood and pulled off her t-shirt. She sat back down now only wear low rise jeans and a black bra.

The artists glanced over at each other and grinned. A mutual "I love my job" sigh was exchanged.

"Ahhhhh…I'm telling Tig you're getting naked in public!!!" Vix teased which earned a sharp look from Jaci.

**

The next day, Vix rolled up into the lot of Teller Morrow in the late afternoon. As she got out of her car, Chibs did a double take. He shot a look at Juice. "Ok, so like three days ago she is pink haired, two days ago she dyed it jet black for the funeral and today she is whiplash blonde?"

Juice just smiled. "Yeah, it's how she expresses herself. Plus she wasn't lovin' the black."

Chibs shook his head and hollered at her while she was walking across the lot to where the guys were standing in front of the open garage bays. "Hey Parker! Love the do... now all's you need is a white dress and an air grate."

Vix laughed. "Awe Chibsy, I couldn't pull off Marilyn if I tried... but thanks for thinkin' so." She walked over to Juice and exchanged a greeting and a kiss.

"Gram hasn't canceled again has she?" He questioned.

"Not last I knew, but there has been a change of venue. We're now meeting her and Sadie in Stockton."

"Stockton? What are they doin' in Stockton?" He asked with a frown. "Wait… who drove? And WHAT?"

Vix laughed. "Sadie drove… the Torino."

Juice groaned, picturing the two old women tooling around Stockton in the vintage car.

"Too bad they're not from Pasadena." Chibs commented out of the blue.

Both Vix and Juice turned and looked at the Scotsman. "Uh?"

"Ah, come on…" He started to belt out The Beach Boys' song. "_Well, s__he's the Little Old Lady from Pasadena. Go Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny, Go"_

Vix cracked up, not only at how funny the song sounded coming from Chibs, but she because she could totally picture it. She began humming the song.

Juice just shook his head. "So why are they in Stockton?"

Vix make a tsking sound and then began singing along with Chibs "_Y__ou might drive a go-er but you'll never lose her... she's gonna get a ticket now sooner or later cause she can't keep her foot off the accelerator..."_

"Vix!" Juice snapped.

She frowned and stopped singing. "They are in Stockton because apparently there was this wine auction and that's the only place they can locate this wine that Henry loves." She shrugged. "So they want us to meet them at some Waterloo place out off of Highway 99."

Juice groaned again. "Why does everything with these women have to be a production?! I mean why do they even want me there? It's not like I'm gonna get a word in edge wise in these _discussions_ and if I know Gram, her and Sadie have the whole fuckin' thing planned already."

"You're there to balance the estrogen levels and add some guy-input." Vix replied and then grabbed his hand. "And you're going because your Grandmother asked you to and because I am making you, so get your ass in the car. We've got to be there in an hour and a half."

From his perch on a work bench stool, Chibs just chuckled, as he watched Vix toss Juice her keys. "Crack that whip, Parker."

The pair walked off. She slid into the passenger seat and he climbed behind the wheel of her car and off the two sped into the wild blue yonder... or well, onto the I-5, headed to dinner with Gramma.

"_Go Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny GO!"_ Chibs sang softly as he started to get back to work.

Tig wandered out of the TM office and frowned at Chibs. "What?" He questioned Chibs on what he was mumbling.

Chibs shook his head. "Nothin'."

Tig hefted the car part he had been carrying up onto the workbench. He grabbed a wrench and started trying to pry a bolt loose on the starter. After a few minutes of struggling with the bolt, Tig was getting pissed. "Goddamnit…come on!"

He was running extremely low on patience. He stopped and banged the starter with his wrench in frustration. He stared at the part for a moment and then commenced to work on it again, only to realize he had been pulling the wrong direction, in fact tightening the bolt. "Fuckin' idiot." He muttered. His brain was fried with all of the shit going on in his life; he was fucking up everyday simple work now. Tig shook his head and tried to focus, pulling to the left to loosen the bolt.

Chibs was watching Tig with slight amusement as he still struggled with the bolt. "You keep straining like that you'll give ya self a hernia."

Tig kept his eyes on the part and muttered, "Shut up."

"It's gonna break."

Tig pulled harder and through gritted teeth replied, "No....it...won't." He gave the bolt one last tug and SNAP… it broke. Chibs let out a hardy laugh and Tig threw his wrench into the brick garage wall. "Motherfucker! Fuck this!" He stormed out of the garage; quitting time was going to come a little early today.

Chibs watched his very pissed off friend stalk across the parking lot to the clubhouse. Tig was a volatile guy on a good day but something had him very unsettled lately. He had been a total prick for a few days now.

Tig jerked opened the door the clubhouse. He was seething with anger and felt like beating the shit out of something or someone. He looked around the room and found it completely empty which was probably for the best. Spontaneously wailing on the Prospect would have caused trouble and attention Tig didn't need right now. He rounded the bar and grabbed a cold beer. Leaning against the bar and holding the bottle to his forehead, he tried to calm down.

**

"Are we going the right direction?" Juice asked, getting a bit frustrated since they seemed to be driving forever.

"According to the GPS in my phone we are." Vix replied as she read off the paper she'd written on. "And Ruby said to take the I-5 to Stockton, then the Highway 4-Crosstown to 99 North , go 2 exits to the Highway 88-East ~Waterloo exit, then drive about 5 minutes or so and the place is on the left at the bend in highway."

"Well, shit there's the exit. Hang on." He cut across lanes of traffic, setting horns honking and 'birds' flying in his wake. "Now we go what? Five minutes? To a bend in the road?" He shook his head in amazement at the directions.

"Well that's according to Ruby, so with you driving I say a minute and a half tops. HA! See the road is _bending_ already."

"Very funny." He smirked.

Two minutes later they are parked in the lot of the Waterloo Club. Vix stared at the building. "This place is um, interesting. Wonder how they know about it?"

As he turned off the motor, Juice replied. "I usually find it best not to ask. Probably some place Henry told 'em about. He was a circuit court judge based in Stockton for years."

She nodded. "There's the Torino… looks like they made it in one piece."

"Thank god for small miracles."

She stopped walking and looked at him. "Seriously, what is your malfunction? Does it bother you that much that your grandma wants your advice and opinion? In exchange for it she is even treating us both to dinner. My family never asks my input on any damn thing."

"That's not it."

"What's not?"

"My grandmother is not the issue."

"Ok, then what is?"

He shook his head, "I… I"

From across the lot they heard Ruby call, "There you two are. Sadie, they're here! We've been waiting for thirty minutes. Henry said this place was popular but my goodness who'd suspect, judging by the looks of it."

"Can't judge a book by it's cover, Gram." Juice leaned down and let her give him a hug

and plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I guess not dear." Ruby said as she turned to hug and kiss Vix as well.

"We're vibrating." Sadie called out, holding up a pager.

"Oh good, let's eat, hmm?" Ruby smiled and turned and walked towards the restaurant.

They were seated and looked over the menus given to them by the hostess. The waitress approached the table and without looking up went into her schpeel, "Welcome to the Waterloo…" At the sound of her voice, Juice's heart lurched. "I'll be your server, my name is Blair."

Juice felt the room jerk out of control and started off an internal-obscenity filled rant at this wrinkle of fate. _Oh shit, oh shit. Oh fuck me!! Wait…no fuck me, that's what caused this fucking problem in the first fucking place. Oh God __PLEASE DONT SAY ANYTHING, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!! I swear if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have none at all._

When the girl finally glanced at the people seated at the table, her shock at seeing Juice was visible on her face. Juice shot a stern look at her, just before Vix looked up from her menu and looked at him. "Oooh Baby, this place is supposed to be famous for their ribs."

Juice looked up from the menu he was pretending to read. "Hmm?"

"I said the ribs are supposed to be good here. You were saying you were jonesin' for 'em the other day." Vix noticed the waitress staring at her. She took in the girl; _cute, in that Abercrombie/GAP wearin' sorority girl kinda way. The kind of girl who'd never survive to the end in a horror flick or on a season of Survivor. I know her type, I HATE her type, she's the kind that when the party ends everyone worries if she has a ride home… I'm the kind who everyone just assumes has mastered the art of hitchhiking. Sorry chick, I hate you… on principle._ If only Vix knew she had other reasons to hate her.

Ruby glanced up from her menu, asking "What are the specials?"

After rambling them off and taking their drink order, the waitress disappeared. Vix glanced over at Ruby and Sadie, "So what does Henry recommend?"

As Sadie advised them about Henry's favorites, Vix eyed Juice. She reached out and touched his hand that was resting on the table, causing him to about jump out of his skin. She stared at him with concern in her eyes and started to pull her hand back – but he reached out and grabbed it, intertwining his fingers with hers. He nodded his head to her in an _everything's fine... don't worry gesture._ He even flashed her a weak smile. _Alright asshole, calm the fuck down and_ _MAN UP. This has nothing to do with bad luck. You fucked around and now Karma is trying to bite you in the ass. _Vix shook her head, thinking _OK whatever_ and went back to perusing the menu.

For where she stood hidden, watching them look over the menus, Blair sized up the woman sitting next to Juice. _She's probably the reason he had tried and fail to resist my charms when things had gotten hot and heavy. _Blair could see Vix was tough - likely to the point of being hostile if provoked. Her hair and her clothes and her mannerisms painted her as funky, trendy, sexy, cool... with more than a dash of crazy for good measure. _I know her type, I HATE her type. She's the kind that smokes and drinks and believe they'll live forever but just in case they party like tonight is their last. The problem with that is someone still has to be responsible - the designated driver, the payer of the tab or the bail. Christ look at her, she probably beats people up for the fun of it. Cocky bitch...wonder if she'd be so cocky if she knew what I did to her boyfriend there..._

The waitress reappeared with their drinks and was placing them on the table when she paused mid-motion, sort of staring at Juice and Vix holding hands. She quickly snapped out of it after noticing the hard look he was shooting her direction. She finished the drink delivery and went around the table taking orders and then quickly retreated. When she left, Juice excused himself from the table on the premise of having to use the men's room ... and went in search of the kitchen.

Ruby took a sip of her wine and inquired, "Is everything alright, dear?"

"Hmm?" Vix replied. She'd been thinking over all of Juice's odd-ball behavior lately. She'd even commented on it to her sisters last night, but had assured them that everything would be ok... now she sat contemplating her own words.

"With Jean Carlos? He's acting a bit odd."

"I know, he'll be ok." There she went again handing out assurance like lollipops from a bank teller. "I'm sure it's just everything, Donna… and stuff." But she thought back and Juice had been unsettled since before Donna was killed. She felt a shiver down her spine, "I'm gonna use the ladies room."

Ruby and Sadie nodded as Vix got up and left the table.

**

Juice entered the kitchen and saw Blair picking up a tray of appetizers. He snapped his fingers and said "HEY" in her direction. She looked up sort of stunned to see him standing there.

She set the tray down and walked over, glancing around nervously. "You can't be in here."

"I'll leave in a minute. Look, I need you to forget you know me... those women I am with, never find out about that shit."

She scoffed. "Please what do you think I'm gonna do walk up to your girlfriend and give

her all the details?"

"For your sake…I certainly hope not." Juice warned. "So just so we are clear, you're gonna be cool, knock off the stares and shit?"

"Sure… whatever."

Juice shook his head. "NO! Not _sure whatever_ ... YES!"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Fine...YES! Happy?"

Juice gave a wry laugh. "Not even close." He turned around and pushed back through the double swinging doors trying to get a grip on himself.

**

Everyone was back at the table as their food arrived, delivered by another waitress who announced that she was relieving Blair. They finished their meal and wrapped up discussions on Herny's party. Juice had been right, Ruby and Sadie had everything planned and really just wanted to make sure they weren't going overboard. Juice and Vix both agreed that of course they were, but turning 80 was reason for a big celebration.

Juice had offered to drive the older ladies home but they both scoffed at the idea. After a quick round of goodbyes they parted ways. Juice and Vix watched them leave and then walked to her car and got inside.

Vix turned to Juice. "Look, is everything ok? Even your Gramma is concerned, so it's not just me being overly sensitive."

Juice stared straight ahead thinking _I'__m no good at this shit. Ok…I need to believe what I'm saying - convince myself that the lie is the truth. _When he finally turned and looked at her, he was as convincing as ever. "Everything is fine, Vix. Don't worry, ok?" He added with a smile. "My head is just messed up right now, that's all."

She studied him, if she'd listen really hard she'd hear the bullshit... but she didn't want to hear it, so instead she smiled and turned on the radio.

The song that started to play sent chills down both their spines, Seethers' haunting remake of Careless Whisper.

Juice thought _how ironic_ as he listened to the words...

_To the heart and mind,_

_Ignorance is kind..._

_There's no comfort in the truth,_

_Pain is all you'll find...._

Vix listened to the lyrics and got stuck on a particular verse...

_Maybe it's better this way,_

_We'd hurt each other with the things we want to say._

**

Back in Charming that same night, Jaci had been lying on the couch, zoned out and flipping through TV channels when someone pounded on the front door. She cocked an eyebrow and rolled off of the couch. _Need to fix that damn door bell. That pounding always scares the shit of me. _She padded to the door barefoot, wondering who would be stopping by at 10pm. She stopped just in front of the door and called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me." A familiar voice answered. Her heart snapped to attention and began to pound slightly faster as she unlocked and opened the door. Tig stood on the front stoop, still in his TM work shirt, staring down the driveway. His head snapped around when he heard the door open. Jaci just stared at him, not really sure what to say since he had ran out so abruptly on her the last time he was at her house. He beat her to the punch and asked, "Can I come in?"

She frowned. He never asked for permission before, usually just pushed past her. She nodded and pulled the door open wider. He stepped inside and walked into kitchen. Jaci followed him; it took all of five seconds for her to register the heavy awkwardness between them. She leaned against the fridge as he leaned against the counter; neither one spoke, just dodged glances from the other person.

"Are you hungry? There are leftovers in the fridge." Jaci offered with a slight smile. Tig just shook his head once. She nodded and tried to think of something else to say. Hell she had spent the last few days trying to think of what to say to him the next time she saw him. The only thing she had settled on was the fact that she would NOT say anything that remotely sounded like '_It happens to everyone'_. She took a deep breath. "Hey…about the other night…"

He held up a hand immediately and cut her off. He looked sternly at her. "We're never talking about that…_any of it…_ again."

She nodded and took a closer look at him, seeing just how tired he looked, like he hadn't slept for days. He seemed out of sorts, like he might have been drinking too much lately. Hell, who could blame anyone for hitting the bottle during the past week. The TV was muted in the next room and the silence in the kitchen was heavy. _He's here for a reason…just have to pull it out of him. _

"Where's Vix?" He asked as he fiddled with the sink faucet, slapping it back and forth with his hand.

"Probably attached to Juice's hip and various other body parts I don't even want to think about." Jaci teased but then winced, realizing she had just mentioned sex to a guy that hadn't been able to get it up. Tig didn't seem to care. She decided to just say what had been on her mind. She knew better than to give Tig long speeches but couldn't help herself; she was tired of being pushed away.

She moved to the other side of the fridge and stood against the counter across from Tig. "Look…I know you're used to going things alone, to not having someone around… but surely by now you know that when the shit hits the fan…you don't have to pull back from me. Everyone one else is leaning on someone right now…Juice has Vix, Clay has Gemma, Jax has…well, who ever in the Hell he wants at that particular moment I guess."

Tig stood listening to her with his arms stretched wide along the counter. He stared down at the tile floor. She just stared at him and finished, "You can lean on me…I'm not going to break."

His body language shifted as he ran his hands through his hair. He glanced around the kitchen while he replayed her words _I'm not going to break, I'm not going to break _in his head.He thought of all the ways he had bent the truth in the last seventy two hours. Something had to give, he couldn't keep pulling and pushing and bending and twisting. His eyes wandered over the room, the neat countertops, the pristine floors, the goddamn alphabetized spice rack. Everything in the kitchen was perfect, not a thing was out of place…except for him.

"I'm done." Tig said abruptly and then looked up at her.

Jaci frowned at him, at the blank stare he had on his face. "Done with what?"

"You…me." Tig waved his hand between the two of them. "I…I can't do this anymore."

Jaci felt her heart drop into her stomach and she blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

By putting a bullet in a Donna, he had put a bullet in everything good that he had left inside of him. Thinking he could be anything close to what Jaci needed had been a pipe dream from day one, Donna's death had just shined the bright light of reality on that for him. Anything that Jaci could have been in love with was fading fast; she just couldn't see that yet. He was going to save her the trouble of having to realize that. It was time to give up the charade.

He stood up straighter. "A while back, you told me not to waste your time." He looked intently at her, "I'm wasting your time…._we're_ just wasting time here."

"No." Jaci replied with a frown. She knew what he was doing; Donna's death had shaken everyone up. Juice had tried to pull the same thing with Vix. "I know things have been _rough_ lately but it's all just a bump. We're fine."

"It's not a bump, Jaci. It's goddamn black hole."

"Black hole?" She watched in confusion as he started to pace. "What's so wrong? Tell me and we'll talk it out."

"Talk it out? We can't work through it." He almost laughed at her and tried to think of a way to explain things to her. He covered his face with his hands for a moment and then finally spoke. "What did you do today?"

She stared at him. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Answer me." Tig waved his hand to speed her up. "You got dressed up and went to work at your nice white collar job, right? You went to lunch with your squeaky clean office friends. Did you go see Abel? Go check in on Moby?"

"Yes…to all of it. Why?"

Tig let out a rant. "You shouldn't be taking care of other people's kids, Jaci. You should have your own and… a husband to mow the grass around a fucking white picket fence and be taking vacations to Disneyland and shit. You shouldn't be doing what you're doing."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jaci fired back, not liking being told what she should and shouldn't do by a guy that usually didn't give a shit.

"Everything!" He yelled. "I'm talking about _everything_. I can't give you any of it. What we've been doing…it's time to pull the plug on this."

"But I don't want…"

"This has gone on too long." He shook his head. "You got things you need. Things you're going to want…"

"Stop telling me what I what!!" Jaci yelled and surprised them both. He wasn't listening and she had to get through to him. "Everyone keeps making little comments, trying to shove all that down my throat. Marriage and kids is the last damn thing on my mind. Stop putting words in my mouth!" He stopped pacing to look at her. She pointed a finger at him. "Have I EVER asked you for those things?! NO! I've never asked you for ANY type of commitment!"

"Doesn't matter." Tig shook his head in frustration. "How long can we keep pretending this is a good idea? A year, two, ten?? We're going to fall apart."

"Who's pretending? I'm perfectly fucking happy…I thought you were too." Jaci scoffed and bored a hole through him with her eyes. "Did I miss something? Were you miserable and I didn't know? Because until this week you were _fine_. WE were fine. And what's with hatin' on my job? What's it matter if I fix books or you fix cars?"

Tig pulled on his work shirt. "I don't fix cars, Jaci- I run guns. You know that." He said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know…and I don't give a shit." Jaci fired back.

She stared at him in disbelief. This relationship flip flop was coming out of nowhere and she scrambled to make sense of it. She knew he wouldn't stand in front of her and discuss it very much longer so she got to the point. "I don't know what has you thinking about all of this…_shit_ but stop…please." She pleaded. "Let's just calm down. There's obviously something that has you all riled up. You…you're not yourself right now."

"No….I'm the same guy. You just won't look that deep." He replied flatly. He started to stalk around the kitchen as she stood watching him. He hadn't expected her to fight so hard to keep them together. He thought after all of these months she would be starting to realize she had made a mistake with him.

He muttered, "You're just not going to let go." He shook his head again. "No amount of _thinking about it_ is going to change this. I'm going to pull you one way and you're going to try to push me another and we'll…."

Jaci raised her voice again, hating to have something done _to _her. "Stop saying WE like this is some sort of mutual damn decision because its not."

"For fuck's sakes…is that what you want?!" Tig had reached his limit of trying to reason and let her down easy. She was bound and determined to fight. He waved his arm around and yelled. "To keep this going until the wheels come off and we end up hating each other?" He squared up in her face. "How long do you think I can keep walking the straight line with you…_for you_? How long until I start fucking around on you? How long until some club fuck up lands me in jail or the fucking ground?"

He took a step back and made himself calm down for a moment before he ended up blurting that he had already crossed all of those lines. "I won't put you through all that shit. I'll save you the trouble. You need to get the fuck away from me."

"Oh, don't do me any favors, Tig." She spat. His words started hitting home with her and tears started to sting her eyes, a mixture of hurt and anger. He was really going to do it, really going to bail.

They just stood staring at each other for a long moment before he said simply, "Ok…so that's it."

"Tig, don't DO this." She stepped in front of him as he started to try and leave. She put her hand on his chest and stopped him. "Think about this...please. Let's just calm down."

Instead of pushing her out of his way and just leaving, Tig let her stop him. He was extremely upset and close to shaking with emotion. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, she just deserved so much better than him and he was trying to give her that…he just had to hurt her to do it. He sucked in a breath and pulled her closer to him. His hands found her face and he pulled their heads together. She held onto his forearms. He closed his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry."

She squeezed his arms harder and tried to hold her tears inside but his apology brought the reality of the situation crashing down around her. Tig had never apologized for _anything_ with her, not even jokingly. An 'I'm sorry' from him was on the same importance level of an 'I love you' and she had always thought neither phrase was in his vocabulary. She slowly shook her head side to side. A few tears slid from her closed eyes as she realized things were really over between them, he was really going to walk out on her.

"Please." She whispered quietly and inside her head she willed him to stay. It made no sense for him to suddenly want to end everything…no sense at all.

A tear hit his thumb and he started to pull away from her. He kissed her forehead and then her cheek, but was very careful not to look at her face. He couldn't stand the image of her crying over him being in his head forever. He thought that image might undo him completely but she was determined to show him her pain. "I'm sorry." He said again and tried to step around her but she blocked him. He kept his eyes down and waited for her to move but she stood firm.

"Look at me." She said quietly. When he refused, she stepped closer to him. "Damnit, Tig, don't be like that. You're always so damn high on eye contact, don't change now. You look at me."

His head shot up and his eyes locked on hers. _Fuck it, bring the pain. Why the hell not?_

Jaci had been fully prepared to tell him that she loved him, thinking that might be the one thing to make him stop in his tracks and listen. Her brain was screaming _TELL HIM_, _SAY IT! Fuck his 'words are bullshit' policy and tell him right now! _But as she studied his eyes, she choked on the words and froze. Over the past months, she had gotten very good at reading his eyes and she could see that he knew exactly what she wanted to say…and he didn't want to hear it.

He felt as if his heart was being squeezed in his chest and he shook his head. "Jaci, don't..."

She narrowed her brow in anger. "Why? Would hearing it make this _hard_ on you? Would you think I'm bullshitting you?"

He choked out a response. "No…it just… it wouldn't change anything."

Tig watched her face fall but she didn't move out of his way so he decided to help her. He put his hands on her hips and steered her backwards into the hall and then against the wall until her back was flat against it. He suddenly felt completely and utterly exhausted; his tank was on empty. He looked over every facet of her face. _Feel the pain, asshole. Look at what you're doing to her. This is what happens when you step out of bounds, people get hurt. You never should have started this shit with her. _He couldn't help himself and leaned in and kissed her slowly, waiting for her to slap him but she didn't. Instead her hands on his chest gently grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. He held the kiss for a long moment and then took a step backwards. When she tried to follow, he eased her back against the wall. "Let go." He mumbled.

Jaci stared at him, knowing something was wrong with the whole scenario, with him. "You can't tell me you WANT this."

Tig shook his head, "It has to happen."

She strained against his hands defiantly but he shoved her back against the wall, harder this time, but never breaking eye contact with her. "Stop." He warned. "You gotta let me go."

She was shocked to see tears welled up in his eyes. He stared at her for a second and then squeezed his eyes shut. _Time to go. You can't fix this, don't even try to bullshit yourself. Walk away. Don't let her get ripped away from you later…just do it now. _She watched his jaw clench, his eyes still closed. He slapped his hand hard against the wall in frustration once…then twice, making her jump slightly. He made himself stop, knowing that if he kept going he would punch a hole in the wall. When he opened his eyes again, they were cold and empty.

Tig pulled her hands off of him and gently shoved her back one last time. He left her standing in the hall and quickly left out the front door. Jaci just stood there, stunned. She heard his bike roar to life and then tear down the street. She blinked a few times and then finally slid to the floor as if all the air had been let out of her. The tears started to flow a minute or two later.

**

Vix pushed open the door to the house and stopped dead in her tracks causing Juice to slam into her back. She froze for only a second and then rushed to where Jaci was sitting with her head in her hands against the wall in the front hallway.

"J, what's wrong? Are you ok?!" Vix asked as she dropped to her knees in front of her sister. Her hands flew over Jaci, trying to figure what was wrong. Was she sick? Was she hurt? Vix tried to get a good look at Jaci's face but Jaci was moving away from her, trying to stand up. Vix pulled her back down; not wanting her to move until she knew what was going on. She could finally see that Jaci was crying and that scared the hell out of her. "Jaci, what happened?!!"

Juice spotted the tears at the same time as he stood in the middle of the hall, dumbfounded. _Uh-oh…this isn't good._

Jaci quietly choked out, "Tig."

Vix glanced back toward the door in confusion. Tig had tore past them, headed in the opposite direction just as they had turned onto the street and now she found her sister in a crying heap in the floor. Vix's temper flared as her imagination ran wild. "Did he hit you?!"

Jaci wouldn't respond and Vix grabbed her shoulders. "Jaci, look at me...did he HIT you?!"

Juice watched Vix trying to get Jaci to talk and his stomach clenched when he heard the hitting allegation. He knew what Tig was capable of. _Oh_ _shit, dude. Please tell me you didn't do that!!!_

Jaci finally stared up at Vix with defeated eyes. "No…didn't hit me." She stood up at that point and started walking toward the living room, humiliated. She was embarrassed enough over crying in the first place, never mind her sister and one of Tig's FRIENDS finding her in that condition.

"Well then what happened?" Vix scrambled to her feet and went after Jaci. She turned back to Juice and started to say 'give me a minute' but he held his hands up and said 'no problem' without a word.

Vix followed Jaci down the hall to her room. "Come on, J. Talk to me here or I am just gonna assume the worst."

"Assume it then." Jaci said flatly and slammed her bedroom door. Vix barged in behind her before Jaci could lock the door.

**

Juice sat down on the couch, a bit stunned. Vix returned to the living room a few minutes later. He looked up at her. "I thought she didn't get emotional…as a rule or something?"

"Yeah, well I think all the damn rules just got broken."

"So what happened?"

Vix was livid and paced around in front of the sofa. "I don't know, she won't say anything other than 'it's over' and she doesn't want to talk about it. I don't know who dumped who but it looks like it got ugly." She shook her head. "The breakup was bound to happen but NOT this way. There was no need for this shit!"

"What did he do?" Juice asked.

"I don't know!" Vix yelled. "She won't tell me so that means it's bad!" She kicked at the ottoman. "I am gonna go kick his ass."

Juice stood up. "No you're not."

She stopped pacing and stared at him in confusion. "He hurt my sister. He deserves ..."

"Vix, listen to me ... there are times for going in…I don't know _guns blazing_ and there are times, like this RIGHT HERE, to tread lightly."

Vix rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah yeah. Walk softly and carry a big stick... well you know what the stick is for ... it's for rammin' up the asses of those who fuck with you!" Vix started toward the front door.

"Oh my God!" Juice grabbed his head in frustration. "Victoria!"

Hearing her given name barked at her had the desired effect, she spun around and stared at Juice. "What?!"

"Leave this alone. It's not our problem." He pleaded.

Vix closed her eyes and shook her head. "Spoken like a typical only child. You just don't seem to get that what hurts my sister... hurts me... more!"

Juice scoffed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Her eyes flashed open, "No! But you're right... this isn't our problem... it's my problem." She glared at him, thoroughly disgusted with his lack of support and just upset with him in general. "You know…I really need to think about what is going on with the two of us. I think you should go."

Juice stood staring at her. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." She replied flatly as she stepped aside to give him ample access to the open front door.

He stared at her for a few more seconds and then shook his head and walked out the door. She slammed it closed behind him.

**

Standing on the front steps of Parker Place, Juice took stock - his life since that fateful February day when Vix Parker swept into it had become a whirl wind roller coaster ride. The highs were amazingly insane and the low points were practically soul crushing, but if he was brutally honest with himself, he wouldn't trade a day of it, wouldn't change a thing... well, until right now, this minute. He wasn't ready for the ride to end - not by a long shot. He spun around and began pounding on the door, loudly and repeatedly until it was thrown open to reveal Vix standing there.

"What! What do you want, Juice?"

"You!" He said with such force that it shocked them both. "And I'm not leaving... so if that is still what you want... call Unser and have me forcibly removed."

Vix stood there momentarily stunned, staring at him. Then she stepped aside and let him back in.

**THE END**

Whew, it has been a LONG ride but Season 1 is finished! Thanks SO much for all of the love and support and fantastic reviews. We hope we didn't make anyone too mad with the way things ended. Please let us know your thoughts!!

We're going to take a short break and organize all of our pages and pages of ideas and then the Parkers will be back in a Season 2 centered work entitled, _Walk Away from the Son. _

Feel free to let us know your thoughts/hopes for the Parkers in Season 2, we have some strong ideas but nothing is written in stone…yet. Email us at parker_


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